


Moving Forward with the Future

by Runeb19



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clones, Emotional Manipulation, Inspired by Fanfiction, M/M, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runeb19/pseuds/Runeb19
Summary: It wasn’t quite a dream. It wasn’t quite a vision. But it was real, and frightening, and would drive Obi-wan to act, because even if he doesn’t yet understand the consequences, he knows they’d be unbearable.Poor Jango is just doing his best to keep up, make the right choices, and win his riduur in the process. He did not sign up for what’s coming next.An AU of the Integration AU By Millberry_5!
Relationships: Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 248
Kudos: 1021
Collections: Integration: The Collection, Suggested Good Reads





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Integration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11920878) by [Millberry_5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Millberry_5/pseuds/Millberry_5). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the main things I do when I start really reading fanfiction is imagine how I might do things differently, or what I would add, etc., When I saw that Integration had been opened up as a sort of sandbox, I knew I was going to write something for it, even if it took me a while to settle on what. It’s alluded to in the chapter, but this diverges from the original fic right around chapter 25.

Jango wasn't quite sure what to do.

Obi-wan was usually a sound, if light, sleeper. He'd been thrilled to see that the other man had finally fallen asleep in his bed, but before he had finished changing, intent on joining him, the man had started tossing and turning, mumbling incomprehensibly in his sleep. It didn't seem like a regular nightmare, and he had no idea if it was something to do with the Force, or what to do about it if it was.

He also had the small hope that Obi-wan would settle down on his own, and he'd be free to climb in and go to sleep himself.

His hope was dashed however, when Kenobi abruptly sat upright, eyes wide, and breathing heavily. Concern overriding his more selfish impulses, he crossed the room quickly and wrapped an arm around Obi-wan's shoulders.

"Easy, easy now," he murmured, pulling Obi-wan close to him. It was, perhaps, a sign of how intense his dream - or whatever it was - had been, that rather than tense up or pull away, the man leaned into Jango, and accepted the offered comfort. He allowed himself to enjoy the small victory even as he continued to mutter assurances while Obi-wan calmed down. 

"I - thank you," Obi-wan eventually said, still breathing deeply. "I need - some air. Please. Can we go... outside? Somewhere?" 

Jango frowned, confused, but he didn't think this was some weird escape attempt. 

"Alright," he said carefully. "But it's late. You should get some warmer clothes on first."

But his _kadau_ simply shook his head groggily, and pulled himself off the bed. 

"It doesn't matter," Kenobi muttered. "I just need to think."

Hopelessly lost, Jango got up and grabbed a random coat of his from his closet, walking over and throwing it over Obi-wan's shoulders. The redhead didn't even blink, and Jango, really rather disturbed now, wrapped an arm around Obi-wan's shoulders and pulled him close, before leading the way out of the room.

Kenobi allowed himself to be pulled along, the same slightly vacant, distressed expression on his face the whole way down to the courtyard. The guards they passed saluted on seeing Jango, and shot him concerned and confused glances after taking a look at Obi-wan. Jango studiously ignored them, not breaking stride until he keyed in his bypass to open the courtyard doors this late. 

Obi-wan slid down out from under his arm and made a beeline for the same spot they'd eaten lunch only a few days previously. Jango followed, still at a loss as to what was going on, and saw Obi-wan settling into what he recognized as a meditation pose almost exactly where they had been sitting. After a second's hesitation, he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Jango.

"Don't leave." He said, a quiet plea in his voice.

Well that was… something. Not that Jango had even the slightest intention of leaving the man alone for one kriffing second.

"I won't," he said, equally quiet, and he gave Obi-wan what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'll be right here."

Obi-wan smiled back, seeming to relax, and turned back to face the pond, closing his eyes.

Jango settled next to a tree a few feet away, keeping his eyes trained on his _wer'cuy jetii_.

He thought he'd more or less caught up with what was happening. It hadn't been a nightmare or a memory; in fact, Jango realized that Obi-wan might not have actually fallen asleep _at all_. He flashed back to the first banquet Obi-wan had attended, of little Kurri's vision. 

Whatever Obi-wan had seen, it was bad. And now, it seemed that he had come out here to work through it.

While he didn't know how any of this Force _osik_ actually worked, it was apparent that, given that Kenobi had looked to him for comfort, Jango hadn't been the bad guy in whatever he had seen. With that reassurance, he settled himself a little more comfortably against the tree, content to wait until Obi-wan was ready to tell him what he'd seen.

* * *

"'Alor?"

Jango opened his eyes blearily, and squinted in the harsh light of the morning sun, which was then mercifully blocked by someone moving in front of him.

Akkus seemed torn between amusement and concern as zir looked down at him.

"What are you doing out here?" Zir asked.

It took a second for Jango's brain to catch up with the situation, and then he felt a stab of panic as he realized he had fallen asleep waiting for Obi-wan. The panic was doused immediately, however, as he started to move and felt something pressed against his side. 

He looked down and saw, to his immense relief, Obi-wan, Jango's coat wrapped around him like a blanket, was curled up against his side, fast asleep.

Jango sighed, a smile slipping onto his face, and he looked back up at Akkus.

"I don't actually know, yet." He answered honestly. 

Akkus did not seem impressed.

"But," Jango said, standing up carefully so as not to disturb Kenobi, who made a small noise of complaint in his sleep at the absence of Jango's warmth. "It will probably be important. Let everyone know I'll be calling for a meeting later today."

He bent down and gently eased his arms around Kenobi's bulk, before standing back up, Obi-wan now held securely in his arms. To his immense satisfaction, the man didn't wake.

Akkus was staring at him, confused.

"Force _osik_ ," he said, by way of explanation.

At that Akkus shrugged, accepting the reasoning. "Very well," zir said. "What time?"

"I don't know," Jango said, making it clear that he had no intention of actually waking the other man. Whatever else might be going on, he was enjoying the closeness. "Just let them know that I'll be calling them."

"Lek, 'alor." Akkus clearly couldn't be bothered to keep up with everything so early in the morning, and Jango couldn't blame zim.

He nodded to zem and made his way out of the courtyard, retracing his steps back to their room. It was early enough that he passed by the same guards as before, nearing the end of their shift. He ignored them again, having no doubt that wild rumors would soon be running about the compound, and he was determined not to add fuel to them.

That they would likely be to his benefit was just a positive side-effect. It would only help if someone genuinely unrelated to Jango planted the idea of the two of them being romantically involved in Obi-wan's mind.

Unfortunately, as the door to their room slid open and Jango carried Kenobi over the threshold, the man stirred and shifted in his arms. Biting back a sigh, he simply walked over to the bed and sat down as the door automatically closed behind them.

Jango didn't actually set the redhead down, though. He simply sat on the bed, keeping the man in his arms, and waited. Obi-wan's bleary-eyed confusion as he woke up was rather cute.

"I… what?" Obi-wan mumbled, half-asleep. Then he seemed to put two and two together and started, blushing scarlet. "Oh, goodness I - I'm so sorry, um,"

Jango just chuckled and released him, settling him on the bed next to him.

"I didn't know how much sleep you'd gotten," Jango said. "I didn't want to wake you." And that was mostly true.

Obi-wan cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at Jango, face still burning

"Well, I… I appreciate the gesture. But if there is a next time, just wake me." The redhead said.

"No." Jango replied cheerfully. Obi-wan glared at him, and Jango just grinned back.

"Now," Jango said, sobering up. "What exactly happened last night? You had a vision?"

Obi-wan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

"I… yes? Sort of."

Jango groaned. "Why can't anything be simple with the Force?"

"I have no idea." Obi-wan sounded very tired. "How do I explain this… Are you gonna be at all offended if I use my teacher voice for a moment?" The man gave him a shy little smile, and Jango couldn't help but smile back.

"Just this once, I won't. Try to make it simple." 

"Right," Obi-wan chuckled, before he did indeed seem to become more serious. "There are two main ways the Force ‘speaks’ to us,” He began, sketching air quotes around _speaks_. “Put simply, one is through feelings, and the other is through visions. Just getting a feeling is pretty… well, it’s vague.”

“As most explanations to do with the Force are,” Jango grumbled. Obi-wan rolled his eyes but didn’t actually contradict him.

“I say it's vague because they can be about basically anything. Sometimes it’s like you're given a warning, or a threat, right before, say, someone tries to shoot you from behind. Sometimes it's getting a sense of which path to take toward your destination, or it's an urge to go talk and engage with a certain individual. Then you find out that the other path you could’ve taken was booby-trapped, and the person you were supposed to talk to just happens to have information you need.” After a moment's thought, he added, “It’s why Jedi are sent out to investigate crimes. The Force doesn’t always lend a hand, of course, but if it does…” He trailed off, and Jango nodded his understanding, before gesturing for Obi-wan to continue.

“A vision is more like an out of context scene from a holovid. You just see a contained series of events, sometimes involving you, sometimes not. Occasionally it’s a battlefield - a planetside warzone, ship-to-ship combat, a personal duel - a sequence of events that doesn’t really give you context that lets you avoid it, but then enlightens you with what should happen next, and gives a chance to respond when it comes to pass. Other times it's a snapshot of a possible future.” 

“For example, say I had a vision that someone replaced you as _Mand’alor_. The vision may or may not give me context as whether that would be for better or for worse. It may or may not give me context as to whether you were deposed violently or through natural succession. It could be something that’s bad for me personally, but better for others, or the inverse. It will almost certainly not tell me all 3 things. Even if I come to a conclusion about whether it’s good or bad, I then have to figure out what to do about it. Does this future come to pass if I go about my business and ignore the vision? Does it become a self-fulfilling prophecy, a future that only comes to pass due to my actions attempting to confirm or prevent it? What if it requires me to make very difficult choices, like letting you die when I could prevent it - presenting me with a situation where I _could_ act to save your life, even if I just happen to _magically_ _know_ that doing so will result in a worse outcome for the galaxy? And how _would_ I know if and when these choices are present?” 

Obi-wan sighed and fell silent as Jango absorbed this information.

After a minute, he tried to speak. “That sounds…” But he trailed off. It was clear he had underestimated what a burden the Force could be, even to someone as experienced as Obi-wan.

“It sounds rather maddening, doesn’t it?” Obi-wan asked quietly, and Jango thought he seemed pained. “There are plenty of tales of those who were gifted with powerful foresight going… quite mad.” He continued in the same quiet voice. “Not because they couldn’t handle the physical strain or the immersion into the Force like the children here, but simply because of the psychological burden. The future _can_ be changed. There would be no point in our receiving visions otherwise. But… should it? How should it? What are the consequences, and what actions actually change things, and to what extent?” He closed his eyes briefly, as if in pain, before opening them and continuing speaking. “It’s the circular logic, and the actual _impossibility_ of knowing whether or not your actions were correct or meaningful that just… consumes the mind.”

Obi-wan laid back against the bed, folding his hands across his stomach, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, Jango laid down beside him, tucking his hands behind his head.

“I used to get visions rather often,” Obi-wan admitted. “My Master was the opposite. No visions, but he got feelings for things more than almost anyone else. He was very in tune with the Living Force. Very much the kind of man determined to stay grounded in the present. We weren’t very compatible with regards to learning about the Force as a whole. I often sought out other teachers to learn from in addition to him.”

“Is that why you’re so good at teaching it?” Jango asked. “Because you had to learn from so many different sources?”

“I don’t know if I'm that good at teaching,” Obi-wan replied, and Jango rolled his eyes in amusement. “But I suppose it’s not unrelated.” They remained in companionable silence for a short while until Jango reluctantly forced them to get back on track.

“So what, exactly, happened last night then?” He asked, propping himself up on one elbow to get a better look at his companion. “I think I understand what you mean by having feelings and visions. As best as I can, anyway.” That Obi-wan had said seeing visions could lead to madness and also that he used to see visions often was a subject to deal with another day.

Obi-wan frowned, still staring at the ceiling. “It was some sort of… mix between the two. Disjointed, unclear images. Lots of white, aliens I didn’t recognize and… there was this terrible feeling of… _wrongness_. I don’t know how else to describe it. I wish I did.” He sat upright, and Jango followed suit. “But to make it stranger, there were also some points of unusual clarity. I think I know - do you have a star map? Of the whole galaxy?” He asked, turning to Jango.

Jango frowned. He did have that here, collectively, for when he wanted to go over campaigns on his own, but they were separated by quadrants. 

“We can bring up a whole one in the war room,” He offered, and Obi-wan nodded.

“If you’re willing,” The redhead answered quickly.

“I am. Just get dressed before we go wandering this time.” Obi-wan blushed but complied, and they were on their way in a few minutes, a fair bit more presentable than the last time they had left.

The war room was empty, and it only took a little bit of fiddling before Jango remembered how to bring up the galaxy-wide holo display. He then showed Obi-wan how to manipulate it and stood off to the side, waiting. From where he was standing he could see the map and Obi-wan’s expression, which wasn’t what he would call comforting. 

Obi-wan’s eyes had seemed to have gone unfocused, his lips parted slightly as he stood still in front of the map, before, slowly, he reached out and began to rotate it, before zooming in on an out of the way system in neutral space. Jango could see there was only one flashing dot there, indicating only one inhabited planet. The fact that that probably wasn't a coincidence made him uneasy.

“That’s so strange,” Obi-wan said, barely loud enough to be heard. “Before… it wasn’t there.”

“What?” Jango asked sharply, and Obi-wan started, turning to face him as though he had forgotten Jango was even there. 

“Sorry,” Kenobi said automatically, still looking a little lost.

“What do you mean by ‘before’?” Jango asked.

“Oh… right. I got distracted.” Obi-wan rubbed his eyes, and Jango wondered how much of this was the Force, and how much from just a lack of sleep.

“You’ve had this… dream, before?” Jango asked again, trying to squash his rising impatience.

“Yes. A few years back, when I was still at the Temple. It wasn’t as intense as it was last night, wasn’t as… urgent. But it haunted me for weeks after. I went looking at the galaxy map in the Temple Archives, and I’m sure I went to the same section as now, but there was just… nothing there.”

“The Archives must have been incomplete, then.” Jango said, unimpressed. He walked over and brought up the information they had on the planet. It wasn’t much.

“The Jedi Archives contain information that pre-dates this entire empire,” Obi-wan retorted, eyes remaining locked on the map. “I agree there’s no other explanation, but it certainly _shouldn’t_ be lacking this kind of basic info.”

Jango shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like there’s much to see here,” He said.

“There doesn’t, but…” Obi-wan continued to stare at the planet display.

  
It was labeled as _Kamino_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun. Fun fact, I managed to misspell Integration every single time I wrote it in the description and notes. Yes, including when I was writing that sentence. I didn’t mean to. I just have that kind of natural talent.  
> Mando’a:  
> Kadau: Lightsaber  
> Wercuy Jetii: Former Jedi  
> Lek: Yes  
> Osik: Shit  
> Alor: Short for Mand’alor, Mandalorian Leader.


	2. Chapter 2

“They’re geneticists, it seems” Jango said, pacing around to his usual spot in the room as he studied the information they had on the planet. “Mid-sized water planet, out of the way of everything. No real resources worth talking about. Technology’s advanced, but they mostly ply it for cosmetic trade and minor cloning projects. There was never anything there to grab our attention.”

He looked over at Obi-wan, now across the table from him. He could tell the redhead was listening, even as he silently continued to study the planet.

“So,” Jango prompted him. “What do we do?”

Slowly, Obi-wan said. “I need to go there. In an unmarked or Republic marked ship. And I need to do it alone.”

“No.” Jango responded flatly.

“I know,” Obi-wan growled, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “But - I have to! I don’t understand why but I  _ do _ !”

“You think I’m just gonna let you fly off to the middle of nowhere all by yourself? Do you take me for a fool!?”

“No! I just - blast it, I don’t know!” Obi-wan was shouting now. “I wish I could explain, I wish I knew enough to, but I just know that I have to go there as soon as possible! Or, or -  _ something _ terrible will happen!”

Jango stopped short of angrily shooting down the idea when he saw that Obi-wan was actually pulling on his own hair in his distress.

_ It sounds rather maddening, doesn’t it? _

Jango sighed and turned off the galaxy display, walking back around the table to Obi-wan, who was chewing on his lip, watching Jango nervously.

“Come now, don’t hurt yourself,” Jango murmured reassuringly, wrapping an arm around Obi-wan’s shoulders and pulling him close. “Look, I don’t think you’re faking. And if it’s really this important, we can do  _ something _ about it. But I can’t just let you wander off on your own. At the very least, the  _ two _ of us-”

But he was interrupted from the beginnings of a fantasy two-person mission with him and his intended by Obi-wan looking up at him sharply and yelling “No!” fervently.

Jango released him and took a step back and examined him, trying to contain his anger.

“No?” He repeated.

“No, I-I’m sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. But you  _ can’t _ . No one but me can, but  _ especially _ not you!”

“And why not?”

Obi-wan looked utterly hopeless. 

“I don’t know,” he almost sobbed, shoulders sagging. “Something bad will happen if any Mandalorian goes, but it’ll be worse if it’s you!”

“You say that no Mandalorian can go, Kenobi,” Jango growled. “But that would include  _ you _ !”

“But they won’t  _ know that! _ ” Obi-wan yelled back at him.

It took a second.

Then Obi-wan’s face fell, expression changing to something like horror. Jango didn’t know how to respond. He had said that more as a jibe than anything.

Obi-wan groped behind him for a chair and fell into it, hiding his face in shaking hands. Jango stayed where he was for another second before walking over to the man and wrapping his arms around him. He didn’t say anything, just rocked him back and forth ever so slightly while he waited for Kenobi to gather up the will to speak again.

Eventually, Kenobi sniffed, and wiped some moisture from his eyes. 

“That’s… I can deal with that later,” He said, more to himself than Jango. “I could already tell that this vision… it isn’t for the Republic. And that’s just - messing with my head.”

And Jango believed him.

“Ok,” He said quietly, releasing Obi-wan, though he didn’t step away. 

Obi-wan looked up at him hopefully. “Ok?” He repeated tentatively.

“Would you consent to having a tracking chip implanted in you?” Jango asked. The odds of Obi-wan saying no seemed slim, but he wasn’t just going to toss caution out of the window.

“If you promise to take it back out when I - when you bring me back,” Obi-wan answered cautiously.

“Of course. I would without asking.” Jango wasn’t sure if Obi-wan believed him, but he was telling the truth. His _wer'cuy_ _jetii_ wasn’t a pet.

“First, we'll send an unmapped satellite to check out the planet and determine their approximate sensor range. Then we'll bring a cruiser as close as we can without entering it, and you can leave from there. I'm sure we can find a shuttle with Republic markings, or forge them if we need to. Once you figure out what's going on, you contact us. We'll decide what to do from there. Understand?" Obi-wan nodded. It was a simple plan, but the best he could with such limited information.

"Now come on, let's get you to bed,  _ ner kad'au _ ."

If Obi-wan noticed the change in nickname he gave no sign. Now that the fight was over he seemed utterly exhausted, and allowed himself to be led back to their room. Once there, Jango elected not to return Obi-wan to his cot, but to deposit him on the main bed. Again, Obi-wan gave no sign that he even noticed, just curling up and falling asleep almost immediately. Jango watched him for a moment, thinking.

He'd need to scrounge up an actual set of Jedi clothes. Obi-wan had certainly seemed convinced the Kaminoans wouldn't know he was Mandalorian now, which made some sense. All told, Obi-wan hadn't actually been with them for very long, and The Republic and Jedi had hardly paraded around the fact that they had lost him.

Whether the Republic was involved in whatever had brought on Obi-wan's dream or if the Kaminoans simply wouldn't be hostile to a Republic representative in the same way they would to a Mandalorian one - why they would be opposed, he had no idea - it didn't change the fact that Obi-wan had effectively begged him to go on a mission on behalf of the Empire, even if neither of them knew what benefit it would have.

He'd likely settle back down once the mission was complete and attempt to refute his earlier partial confession, but his actions, if not his words, would stick with him, as would Jango showing enough trust in him to go along with it. All the better if the Republic actually was responsible for whatever they found - directly foiling a heinous Republic plot would do wonders for Obi-wan's integration. 

Regardless, so long as everyone came through it in one piece, it would be worth it. And now he had a mission to plan.

He paused at the door, glancing back at Obi-wan, before leaving. He locked the door behind him, but was sure he'd be back before the other man woke up. Besides, as dead set as Obi-wan seemed about this, it was unlikely that he would try to escape beforehand.

Slipping into his 'Commando Persona' he pulled out his comlink.

"Akkus."

_ "On it, 'alor" _

* * *

"I'm concerned," Akkus said slowly, after Jango had filled them all in. "About his particular worries involving you."

Jango inclined his head in acknowledgement. "That's fair. Although I won't pretend to be upset he's concerned about me."

"But if we're taking what he says as true," Effao spoke up, locking eyes with him from across the room. "Then maybe… you should stay here?"

"No."

No one seemed remotely surprised at his response.

"Besides," he added. "He didn't seem concerned about me coming along in the cruiser. Just on going down to the planet with him."

"I don't expect to change your mind," Suki said. "But it does need to be said. There appears to be particular danger to your person with regards to this mission."

"And you think it'll get through an entire cruiser of our soldiers, best me,  _ and _ best you?" Jango challenged. Suki bared her teeth at him, recognizing the challenge but not backing from it.

"It will not, 'alor."

"What sort of danger would it even be, if Kenobi is so sure he'll be fine on his own?" Threll asked, frowning.

"I can only assume they'd recognize me in particular," Jango answered, shrugging. "Though he seems sure they'd react negatively to any Mandalorian presence."

"And we're sure that he's… sure?" Threll asked. The question was inevitable, but to Jango's slight surprise, Effao answered before him.

"I've seen Kurri just…  _ know _ things, sometimes. The vision at the banquet wasn't the first time she'd had one, it was just the most intense. She saved a friend's pet from getting crushed when they were moving, and she knew what I got her for her birthday last year." She shook her head. "I mean, I know there  _ could _ be other explanations, but I don't think there are."

"I saw Kenobi having this vision, and I was with him the whole time after. If he's this good of an actor then I feel like we would've noticed before now," Jango said. "I believe him. We'll take every precaution we can, but it doesn't sound like we can afford not to take this risk. If this turns out to be a waste of time or a trick, I'll take full responsibility." They knew he meant it, and they also knew he wouldn't say it if he wasn't fully serious.

There was no more dissent, and Jango made to leave, trusting them to handle the planning of the trip there, but Akkus caught him at the door.

"If this goes wrong," zir said, quiet enough that the others couldn't hear, "In any way, are you going to be able to handle losing him?"

Jango met Akkus' gaze unflinchingly. "If he's hurt, or… killed, then I won't rest until I've killed the ones responsible. If this is a trick, and he runs, I'll hunt him down and bring him home. But… I have to give him this chance, Akkus. I want to trust him so bad, and I do, at least on this. We have to try, for his sake, our sake, even, it seems, for the Empire's sake. So," and his voice wavered just a bit there, "I have to take the chance. And just do… all that I can do."

After a second of silence, Akkus nodded. 

"Very well. And we'll do all we can do to make sure he comes home safe."

"Thank you." Jango said quietly, before he left.

* * *

The atmosphere was heavy for the next few days as they prepped the cruiser and waited on the satellite's information. 

Some industrious young soldiers had done a very convincing job of forging the Republic symbol on an otherwise unmarked vessel, and had additionally forged some convincing looking legal documents indicating that Obi-wan was still on active duty with the Republic. They wouldn't hold up under intense scrutiny, but they would pass a cursory check, and they only needed to get Obi-wan planetside for long enough to figure out what was going on. 

Jango was doing his best to hide his nerves. Outside of his inner circle, no one knew of the reason for the mission, or even their destination. Jango trusted the crew's discretion, but didn't like keeping them in the dark. He was almost tempted to ask Obi-wan to teach him to meditate, as the redhead was doing a far more convincing job seeming as unbothered as ever. Jango might even have bought it if he didn't know the man so well. The signs of his nerves were subtle, and usually only visible in the moments where he thought no one was looking.

Finally, they got the report from the satellite back. The Kaminoans' long range sensors really weren't very impressive. They wouldn't even have to be outside of com-range with Obi-wan, which did help soothe some of Jango's worries.

They departed the following day, Suki and Akkus accompanying them while Threll and Effao stayed behind. Their only real job, aside from keeping things running, was to keep a lid on the details of their mission quiet until they actually had something to share. The bulk of that task fell to Effao, who would be sitting in on Obi-wan's classes in the interim. The children had been told, for lack of a more convincing explanation, that Obi-wan would be away on a mission.

When they got as close to Kamino as they dared, Jango accompanied Obi-wan down to the shuttle. The droid that would be helping him fly the craft was outfitted with a variety of recording and surveillance devices, although this was no secret to Kenobi - it was mostly in case things went wrong and the Kaminoans tried something. This whole process had been putting him on edge and he ached to shoot something.

Maybe he'd get his chance if things went well, too.

"Well," Jango said, stopping short of the ramp and removing the Force dampening cuffs. "Be careful, Obi-wan."

Obi-wan's eyes glittered with humor. "I'm a professional, Jango. I'm always careful." Then, on a more serious note, he added, "And… thank you. For letting me do this."

_ Just don't make me regret it _ .

He managed not to say it out loud, just standing back and nodding as Obi-wan entered the shuttle. He stayed in the hangar bay as the shuttle took off, and watched after it long it was out of sight.

He didn't know what would happen next.

All he could do was try and prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be playing with the timeline of Kamino quite a bit to fit the story the way I want to. I’m not really paying any mind to when certain clone characters would’ve been born. Also I know 'checking the sensor range' is kind of vague, but it's in reference to the furthest point out the Kaminoans might detect the Mandalorian cruiser. They scanned the planet's technology and made an educated guess.  
> Also, good news! This story is almost entirely written already. It will be 10 chapters and a shorter epilogue. I'll be uploading every few days.  
> Mando'a:   
> Wercuy jetii: former Jedi  
> Ner Kada'au: my lightsaber.  
> Lek: Yes  
> 'alor: Mand'alor


	3. Chapter 3

Obi-wan cleared the Kaminoans customs with incredible ease. He would've thought, with how small their population was, that he would've been met with more scrutiny, yet the moment he introduced himself they had eagerly directed him toward a specific facility and promised to send a delegation out to greet him.

Well, at least the Force hadn't been lying to him.

He was having trouble containing his nerves as he landed. As much as it was nice to have his feelings confirmed, it only made him more concerned as to what he was about to find. 

Still, he hadn't been called "The Negotiator" for nothing, and when he stepped off the shuttle and into the rain, it was with his hood up, hands tucked into the sleeves of his robes, and with a pleasant smile plastered onto his face as he made the short walk over to the facility entrance, where two Kaminoans were waiting for him.

"Greetings, Master Kenobi," the nearer of the two said, inclining their head to him. Obi-wan removed his hood, now out of the rain, and returned the gesture.

"I am Lama Su, and this is Taun We. We are so excited that you have come to check in on us."

"I thank you for your courtesy," Obi-wan replied politely. "But I'm afraid I must confess that I do not actually know what I am here to check."

"No?" Lama Su asked.

"I was asked to come here through less than official channels," Obi-wan explained, reciting the story he, Jango, and Akkus had agreed upon. "I'm afraid the one who sent me was relying on your graciousness to fill me in, and for that you have my sincere apologies." He bowed again.

"Understandable," Taun We said, nodding his head. "Our project is still in the early phases, and I can understand the Republic's desire for secrecy."

"One can never know if one might be spied on, of course," Lama Su agreed. "But here, we promise, is quite safe. Kamino is not even on some star charts, and we are widely ignored by the galaxy at large."

"Which is how we prefer it," Taun We added. "The better for us and our clients. Come along, Master Kenobi. We're very excited about this project, and I won't pass up the chance to show you it from the very beginning."

He could sense that Taun We's excitement was genuine, even if they didn't show it much in body language or tone. It was obvious the Kaminoans were proud of their work, and their eagerness to show off to a Republic official was keeping them from doing their due diligence.

That was another shot to the gut. This was a _Republic_ _project_. Of course, there was always the chance that it was only related to what had brought him here… but he wasn't optimistic.

He followed the Kaminoans inside the complex and was met with long winding white hallways. His heart ached at the strange familiarity he knew to associate with Force visions. What had the Republic done?

"Since you have been kept ignorant," Lama Su began, "I would like to know what it is you know of us? Of Kamino?"

"Only what was publicly available," Obi-wan answered truthfully. "You are relatively isolationist, and trade in genetics work and minor cloning ventures. Your technology is quite advanced, but is so highly specialized it is not viewed as a desirable military target."

"Quite correct," Taun We said, as he led the way down the narrow corridor. "Our people, as a general rule, are not starfarers. We have little interest in such exploration. But there are resources that we cannot adequately provide for ourselves here, and it would not do to be so disconnected from the rest of the galaxy as to be unprepared for interaction with off-worlders."

Lama Su continued. "As it stands, we only take on jobs that pay well enough to cover our bare necessities or, preferably, peak our scientific interest in addition to paying well. What your Master Sifo-Dyas approached us with promised both challenge and payment in abundance."

Obi-wan felt like he had been punched in the gut, and it took a massive amount of control not to let his reaction show anything other than polite confusion.

" _Jedi_ Master Sifo-Dyas?" He asked, heart pounding in his chest.

"Yes. You are not familiar with him?" Taun We asked.

"He was a member of your Jedi Council when he contacted us. He was representing the Republic's interests." Lama Su added.

The name did sound vaguely familiar, but Obi-wan's mind was still reeling, and it was safer to feign complete ignorance.

"I'm afraid I don't know him. I spend much of my time on assignment, and I don't often spend time with the council members. How long ago did he approach you?"

"A little over 3 years now," Lama Su told him.

"Strange. I have seen a full meeting of the Council within the past year, and I do not recall anyone by that name."

"If something unfortunate has befallen him, you have our sympathies. He was a man possessing a grand vision." Lama Su said "Rest assured, we will fulfill our contract even if the original signatory is not around."

Taun We opened a door and beckoned them inside. It seemed to be a viewing area, a window overlooking what appeared to be a vast, yet dormant factory floor.

"This is our main clone hatchery." Lama Su told him. "We are almost ready to go into production properly."

The terms did not sit well with Obi-wan, even if he understood them.

"Production?" He asked, hoping his continued ignorance wouldn't land him in trouble. He had a pretty good sense of what was going on, but he needed the Kaminoans to state it clearly.

"They truly told you nothing?" Taun We asked, though his curiosity seemed innocent, rather than suspicious. 

"This," Lama Su said, clearly enjoying the grandeur of the moment. "Is the breeding ground for the new Grand Clone Army of the Galactic Republic. The most skilled and loyal soldiers the Republic will ever know, born from the DNA of its greatest enemy," Lama Su seemed to swell with importance. "Yes indeed. Clones born from the DNA of the Mand'alor. Jango Fett himself.

* * *

Jango paced back and forth across his personal quarters. He knew he really had no reason - at least, no _new_ reason - to be so antsy, but he just couldn't help himself.

"He landed without difficulty," Akkus said, zer eyes tracking his progress from one end of the room to the other. "It actually looks like he was directed to a specific facility on the planet's surface."

"As strange as this vision of his is," Suki added. "It does seem like he was expected." The two of them were sitting at a table a few feet away from Jango, playing a game of Dejarik to pass the time.

"And we're sure this world isn't Republic-aligned?" Jango thought he had done an admirable job concealing his misgivings about this mission in front of Obi-wan, but now that the redhead wasn't here, they were spilling out.

"They've done some business with Republic world's before." Akkus spoke in what was apparently supposed to be a reassuring tone of voice. "But the planet and it's government are neutral. Besides, Kenobi knows we're right here. Does it seem in his character to put an entire planet at risk by offending you in such a way?"

It didn't, and Jango felt irrationally annoyed that Akkus had pointed it out before he had thought of it himself.

"Still," he said stubbornly. "Someone could be there to smuggle him off." After a moment, he added, "That's what the chip is for, but he does know it's there."

"I thought the chip was in case this was a trap _for_ him," Akkus said reproachfully. 

"It's for both," Jango muttered.

"It is unlikely," Suki stated. "The Kaminoans have no tourism, and keep careful track of off-worlders. And while it's not impossible that Kenobi had some sort of secret assignment here in the past where he made an ally, there is nothing in his mission logs that we know of that puts him anywhere near this planet." Jango sighed and allowed himself to relax a bit, before Suki added, "In terms of trackable history, you and I have come much closer to this sector before."

"We have?" Jango asked. "When?" Akkus looked at her curiously as well.

"I use 'close' relatively, of course. You led a campaign against the Sith two sectors away a few years ago."

"Oh yeah…" Jango said, remembering. "That was fun. 'Cept for the part where I got stabbed."

"When you what?" Akkus asked, raising zir eyebrows.

"Not a story that makes me look good," Jango said, relaxing more now that they'd moved onto another topic. "My unit got jumped by a whole squad of Sith. We managed to deal with the _dar'jetii_ fairly quickly, but he'd brought along a lot of soldiers, and it turned into a bit of a slugfest. Some of them broke through the line and jumped on me." He frowned, thinking back. "I can't actually remember if I got stabbed once or twice. The medics treated it fast enough not to scar."

"It was twice," Suki reminded him. "My squad and I showed up right after. You wanted to chase the ones running and I had to restrain you before you made your wounds worse."

"Really, 'alor?" Akkus said, sighing. "You get stabbed and want to run after them yourself?"

"Well it wasn't actually that bad," Jango defended. "They weren't very deep."

"They were still holes in your chest." Suki shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how you've made it this long."

  
"I learn from my experiences," Jango defended, puffing out his chest and saying, in as haughty a tone as he could manage, "I _am_ one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:  
> Dar'Jetii: Dark Jedi/Sith


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight TW for the Kaminoans being dehumanizing jerks and for implied medical experimentation. No graphic depictions of anything.  
> Also I totally forgot to say this earlier, but this was beta'd by Halter!

Obi-wan didn't manage to hide his reaction this time. His mouth hung open, his eyes feeling like they were popping out of his head.

Thankfully, Taun We and Lama Su didn't read anything negative in his expression - only his shock.

"Yes, it's quite an accomplishment, isn't it?" Taun We said. The Kaminoans weren't the most expressive in body language or tone, but Obi-wan didn't need the Force to tell him the alien was preening.

"I just… _how_?" Was all he managed.

"We were not informed of the specifics." Lama Su said. "It was likely done in less than legal circumstances, and the less we know, the better." She beckoned him to follow again, and they left the viewing room and began down another long white hallway.

Taun We resumed speaking as they walked. "The first part of our contract was to start designing and building the cloning facilities while our Republic partners found a suitable donor. The man who delivered the sample said using Fett as the base had multiple purposes. Not only was he a prime physical specimen, but the Mandalorians are often said to have very strange ideas about family. He seemed to think it would have an adverse effect on the Mandalorians morale."

"I don't know if I'd characterize their ideas on family as particularly strange," Obi-wan choked out, years of diplomatic training asserting themselves as he managed to keep his voice steady and demeanor calm. "Though this messenger's logic seems sound on its own merits. I imagine Republic forces would be similarly dispirited were they to face an army identical to their Chancellor."

And there was a small part of him, a very _small_ part of him, that relished the idea of turning such a scheme as this back on them.

"Perhaps that is true," Taun We said, though he didn't seem to care. "Regardless, we were given our base model and sample." They came to a stop outside a door with a symbol on it Obi-wan didn't recognize. He reasoned it was probably Kaminoan.

"The sample we received was adequate, if not as pristine as we would have liked," Lama Su said. "However, such genetic samples degrade over time, and we couldn't rely on receiving another. So we sought another solution." She opened the door and motioned for Obi-wan to enter the room.

It was a good thing he went first, because when he stopped in his tracks upon realizing what the room contained, the two with him weren't able to see his expression.

"Using cloned DNA is unreliable, especially as we have been experimenting to find the right set of modifications to use," Taun We explained, apparently not noticing Obi-wan's reaction. "The more removed from the organic source a sample is, the less stable it becomes. As such, the best method to use is to find the ideal set of modifications, and then modify the base genetic sequence, rather than duplicate the already modified specimen."

"As such," Lama Su said, walking around to the far side of the room. "We needed to establish a source of completely unmodified DNA - the closest to the original we would have full access to. Meet the prime clone, Master Kenobi."

The _infant_ , lying on its back in a sealed box in what had been an otherwise empty room, looked up at him with curious brown eyes peeking out from under curly black hair. 

He reached a hand out and laid it on top of the - crib? Incubator?. 

"I see," He said quietly, barely managing to keep his voice steady. "You need a living source of unmodified DNA."

"Yes, you understand." Taun We nodded. "Unfortunately, that does mean raising the clone from, for lack of a better term, birth. All subsequent clones receive treatments that allow them to be made at an older age, and to grow and mature far more rapidly than standard humans."

"And how old is this one, in standard?" Obi-wan asked. The child's eyes were trained on him, but it made few other movements.

"2 years, 4 months, and 12 days," Taun We recited.

"It doesn't seem to be very responsive." And oh, it cut at him to say _it_. But he had to know how far this depravity went before acting. "Do you mind if I?..." He trailed off, and Lama Su nodded.

"You may inspect it if you wish. I assure you, nothing is wrong with its physical development."

Obi-wan removed the top of the crib and reached a hand out toward the child. Slowly, it raised a hand to bat at his experimentally.

"A lack of social interaction can impair any sentient’s cognitive functions and mental faculties," He said, cold and businesslike. "I realize your primary concern is the genetic material, but I should hope you teach the rest of the clones better."

Both Kaminoans stiffened, but Obi-wan didn't care. 

"We intend to breed and raise them in the same squads throughout their development and deployment, Master Kenobi," Taun We said stiffly. "They will not be lacking for companionship."

"Perhaps not," Obi-wan said in the same cold tone. "But soldiers of the Republic will have to interact with citizens of all ages. It seems to me you could tackle both problems by having them help care for this one."

"If you wish to introduce it to our current batch-" the child was out of the crib and secure in Obi-wan's arms before Lama Su could finish speaking. The baby fussed in his arms a bit, and he reached out with the Force, hoping to impart a feeling of _comfort_ and _safety_ onto him. What he sensed when he did made him gasp quietly. Instead of the muted presence he had expected from such a young and isolated child, he found a small glow, as though it were the only other light apart from his in the complex. _The boy was Force-Sensitive_.

And the Kaminoans could absolutely _not_ know that, so he forced his mouth shut and his expression slipped back into that of an impassive diplomat's, even as he continued to send warmth and light to the baby, who made a happy gurgling noise and settled into his arms more comfortably.

"And your current batch?" He asked, dropping the smile as he looked up at Lama Su. Being challenged on their work had clearly stung the Kaminoans pride.

"They are assembled and awaiting your inspection," Lama Su told him stiffly. "As we said earlier, full-scale production has not begun yet, though we are almost ready. Right now we have a handful of clones we are attempting to assess for command potential, and one… reject."

Obi-wan's gaze hardened. "What exactly do you mean by reject?"

"Usually we decommission such cases," Taun We explained. "Errors do happen in the cloning process. Sometimes they are purely cosmetic - one of the current batch came out with the wrong color hair, for instance - though some cosmetic flaws can indicate deeper issues. Usually we take botched attempts and study them to understand what caused the error, but in the case of clone Ninety-Nine, we understand the flaw - a freak accident during its hatching - and have nothing to gain from studying it. We allow it to do janitorial work in the complex, but in the interest of _transparency_ ," He stressed the word. "We had it assemble with the others."

Jango was going to destroy this place. And Obi-wan was going to be the one to invite him in.

"Take me to them, then." He said shortly, hiking the boy in his arms a little higher, and keeping a tight hold and he followed the Kaminoans out of the room.

* * *

The baby made a loud noise of surprise as they entered the room, which earned him annoyed looks from Lama Su and Taun We, and a smile from Obi-wan.

There were only 6 clones total, including Ninety-Nine, who stood behind and a little to the side of the others, eyes downcast. The incorrectly formed arch of his spine was obvious, and Obi-wan tried to assess whether it could be surgically corrected. He didn't know enough on the topic, however, and he knew that the Mandalorians could help him find a more comfortable life regardless. Even with the spinal issues, Obi-wan noted he stood a little taller than the other boys.

The other five were standing in a straight line, each one of them at attention, hands clasped behind their backs, looking straight ahead. It would've been impressive under normal circumstances, but Obi-wan guessed they were all about 5 or 6 standard, which gave it the effect of being cute, if a little off-putting.

They were introduced from left to right as CC-2224, CC-1010, CC-6454, CC-3636, and CT-7567, who had the blonde hair Taun We had mentioned.

Obi-wan wondered if the boys had thought of names of their own yet.

"What is the distinction between the lettering?" He asked Lama Su. "What sets 7567 apart?"

"CC is short for Commander, CT for Captain." Lama Su answered. "We do want to familiarize them with a chain of command, and 7567 scored just a little lower on the last round of tests."

Obi-wan turned to CT-7567 - really, if they hadn't thought of names on their own, that would have to be one of his first priorities - and asked, "Why did you score lower, do you think?" He kept his tone light and kind, and tried to hide the fact that he didn't give a damn. He just had to play the part of inspector, and it was a natural question to ask.

"Sir, I didn't use the standard approach, sir."

Obi-wan frowned. "Standard approach to what, my boy?" The affectation slipped out, but thankfully, neither Lama Su nor Taun We seemed to care.

7567 did seem to notice, however, and stumbled a bit over his answer. "It was just… math, sir." He blushed, and Obi-wan smiled encouragingly at him.

"Did you still get the right answer?" He asked.

"Um, yes, sir."

"Then I rather don't see the issue," Obi-wan, turning to Lama Su. "Do you find creativity to be a flaw, Lama Su? Because as a tactician I can assure you it is not."

Lama Su looked at him reproachfully, and maybe he _was_ being a bit petty. Not that he cared.

"If it were a tactical exercise, of course you would be right, Master Kenobi," Lama Su said. "But math is math. We taught them a single formula to use, and CT-7567 failed to use it. We do not consider this to be a major failing, but it does set 7567 behind the others. That is all."

Obi-wan made sure his disagreement showed on his face. He didn't care what the Kaminoans thought, but he wanted the boys to know he found no such flaws with them.

"I take it the 5 of you are from the same batch?" Obi-wan directed the question to CC-2224, who stood at the front of the line.

"Yes sir," the boy answered promptly.

"And you - Ninety-Nine, correct?" He asked the larger boy. He seemed to jump a little at being addressed, and looked at Obi-wan a little fearfully before nodding.

"There's no need to worry," Obi-wan said kindly, unable to help himself. "I just wanted to ask; you're from an earlier batch, aren't you?"

Ninety-Nine nodded again, before actually speaking this time. "Y-yes, sir."

"Thank you." He surveyed the group as a whole. "Well, you all seem like fine young men, and I look forward to getting to know you all better over the coming days." Then after a moment, almost as a joke, he added: "Dismissed." The boys saluted and marched out in perfect order. After a moment of looking around in confusion, Ninety-Nine followed them out. 

Obi-wan wanted to laugh. A pack of 6 year-olds being dismissed by a man holding a 2 year-old was not exactly what one would expect to see in the military.

"'In the coming days', Master Kenobi?" Lama Su asked. "We are nearly finished with the inspection."

"With the inspection of the facilities," Obi-wan corrected. "I should think it logical that I spend some time assessing the clones themselves."

"We certainly won't stop you," Taun We said. "But there isn't much to assess with them as they are."

"I'll be the judge of that, I think. Now, what is there left to see?"

"The genetic research lab," Lama Su said, leading the way across the room to another door. "We are mostly through with its uses, now that we believe we've reached a working formula. It's in here that we study the decommissioned clones to assess what worked, what didn't, and what the source of any aberrations was."

If he hadn't had the little boy in his arms to focus on, Obi-wan wasn't sure he'd have been able to get through the next hour without retching. While most of the stations were empty and sterile, two were active. The casual attitudes of the Kaminoans toward the _children_ they had _made_ and _disposed_ _of_ was disgusting. He was careful not to let the infant look, even as the images were burned into his own mind.

By some miracle, he kept an outward appearance of calm as they made their way back through the facilities, though he nearly lost it when it came time to put the baby back in its crib. It clung to him and cried, and he did his best to calm the boy, both physically and through the Force.

“I’ll be back, I promise,” he whispered, quietly enough that the Kaminoans couldn’t hear him. “And then we’ll take you away from this horrible place. You and all your brothers.” He was aware of the eyes trained on him, but refused to leave until the baby had calmed down and started to drift off to sleep. This, he knew, would be the first place he returned to the next morning.

He declined the offered room in the facilities and returned to his ship. Once there, he used the droids surveillance systems to check the facility for automated defenses. A few AA guns and nothing else, which was about what he had expected. The Kaminoans were confident they wouldn’t be bothered. There were no armed forces or overt military technology. By the time this place would’ve been a military target, it would’ve had a legion of clones to defend it.

There was an uncomfortable feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. That future would never come.

No, it would never come close because this place was going to be razed to nothing. Whether Jango would even leave the buildings standing was uncertain. They had been doing this for _years_ now. How many children had the Kaminoans brought into existence just to slaughter them, to advance an agenda of war? Any culture, any reasonable sentient should be appalled at this, but _Mandalorians_ ? Jango, specifically, learning that these children, _his_ children, as Obi-wan was sure he would see them, had suffered in such a way?

Obi-wan was confident the Mandalorian ships could blast those turrets before they had a chance to fire back. He noted their coordinates - the others might prefer to blast them from orbit. It was good that he wouldn’t have to spare a thought for the outer defenses. He’d be able to go straight for the children, to take them someplace safe and out of the way while Jango and the others tore this accursed place apart.

There was a dark, sinister part of Obi-wan that knew he would enjoy it. Not the suffering, or the deaths in and of themselves; it was the punishment he anticipated, the retribution for the appalling disregard for life. It scared him, even as he didn’t deny it to himself. When he focused, he could reach to the baby’s Force signature, the only other bright light anywhere in the facility. Proof, beyond anything else - any amount of logic, or reason, or common sense - that these children were _alive_. That they were individuals, with their own spirits and thoughts and wants and needs-

Obi-wan took one last look at the cloning facility in the setting sun. If he called now, Jango could probably have the cruiser in orbit in two days time.

He turned around and walked back inside his ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worth noting that a key difference between Obi-wan’s time on Kamino here, (as opposed to all the other differences) is that he has no way to just call up the Council and find out that Sifo-Dyas acted independently. On its face, the cloning project looks like it has to have had multiple members of the Jedi Council and the Senate agree to it, rather than it being a single Jedi’s project that was co-opted by the Sith.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was gonna wait to address this until we got closer to when the Mandalorians land, but I think it bears saying now. Now, many of you seem very bloodthirsty, and I *respect it.* However, you’re not really gonna see much blood in this story. Now don’t misunderstand, Tipoca city and its residents are absolutely going to get what's coming to them, but it’ll all be happening ‘off-screen’, so to speak. The fact of the matter is, as Obi-wan has already noted, without a clone army on-hand, the Kaminoans just aren’t ready for this. They aren't fighters of any kind, and so the invasion isn't really gonna be a battle, just a long series of murders, and I don't feel like it adds anything to the story to detail how Jango or some other Mandalorian brutally murdered ANOTHER defenseless scientist. (Not innocent; just defenseless.) That kind of violence has meaning in some stories, but I don’t think it does in this one. Hope no one is too disappointed.

At first, Jango had asked if they should take the debriefing in private - he had, after all, been standing on the bridge, where everyone around him could hear.

When Obi-wan had responded with a quiet  _ no _ , his voice shaking with suppressed anger, Jango had decided to do the opposite, and broadcast the call throughout the entire ship.

And so every Mandalorian on the ship listened as Obi-wan described the would-be army of the Republic, born of stolen Mandalorian DNA, bred for the express purpose of killing their own, and intended to make their opponents hesitate before pulling the trigger.

Their anger mounted as he talked of the children, born only to live short, painful lives, being killed for some perceived flaw or just for the sake of science, before being butchered and studied to improve the next batch of victims.

He told them about the baby he'd held in his arms, the one that had been kept in a box in an empty room because the natives didn't even seem to think it was really alive. And he talked a little more about the other boys that they would be bringing home.

The cruiser had its course plotted before the conversation was even finished. Jango wasn't Force Sensitive, but he imagined the low hum of bloodlust throughout the ship would've made Obi-wan uncomfortable.

It wouldn't be a fight. The Kaminoans weren't prepared for one, weren't expecting one. Obi-wan had some basic layout information. They did have some internal defenses, but they were not lethal. Mostly electronic shocks set up through doorways, probably meant for runaways, not invaders. They could deal with the air defenses from orbit.

While it was likely that the planetary government had signed off on such a costly and important project, whether or not they knew of the specifics was unclear, and Jango didn't really care. They weren't going to commit genocide, or conquer such an out of the way planet with such little value, even if Jango thought this one ships crew could probably accomplish the task. No, this was going to be a lesson. A warning. They were going to come in and destroy everything, and sink it all beneath the waves. He was going to make it clear to the rest of the Kaminoans, to anyone that might try something similar, that it would not be allowed. And then he was going to take his family home.

* * *

The door to his quarters opened and Jango entered, Akkus close behind him. Suki was overseeing the training deck, making sure that everyone working out their anger didn't hurt themselves or each other. As much as they were itching to get at the cloners, they still had over a day of travel time.

He hit a button on the room's central console and Obi-wan appeared in the holographic display. He had indicated, after explaining the situation, that he also had information for a more private audience.

"This is a hell of a thing you've found, Obi-wan," Jango sighed, moving to sit down in a chair facing the display. Akkus sat across from him.

_ "How do you think I feel?" _ Obi-wan asked, and he sounded absolutely miserable.  _ "This is a Republic project. They said a Jedi Master was the one who approached them." _

That, at least, didn't make Jango feel bad at all. 

"Just as well you're not one of them anymore, then." It was, perhaps, not the best time for this, but Jango wasn't going to miss the opportunity to drive the point home.

He was rewarded with a silent glare. Akkus' brows raised at the lack of disagreement.

"Now, what did you want to talk about?" Jango prompted.

_ "Just a few notes that didn't need to be shared with the rest of the crew." _ He said.  _ "The boys have been genetically modified to age faster, save the original clone. As far as I know, they can't be more than 2 standard chronologically, but they appear and act around 5 or 6 standard, with the older boy 7 or 8." _

"Makes a kind of sense," Akkus murmured. "If you wait for them to grow up naturally you're not building an army very fast."

_ "I suppose,"  _ Obi-wan said dismissively. Akkus inclined zir head, knowing the bite in the man's words was not directed at zem.

_ "I assume pulling their records would be routine, but I thought I should mention you'll need your slicers to pay particular attention to their medical information. We should be able to slow the aging process back down, hopefully to a normal rate. I should also add that the eldest boy has a spinal condition. Apparently it was an accident in the cloning process. I can't tell if it can be helped with corrective surgery or not, but I thought it was worth mentioning." _

"With everything we've heard about these cloners I'm surprised they've let him live," Jango said.

_ "Oh they were quite clear that under normal circumstances they wouldn't have," _ Obi-wan growled.  _ "They just didn't have anything to learn from him, so they've been using the poor boy for physical labor. Janitorial work, which would be hard on any child, let alone one with such a physical restriction." _

"Not that I had the highest opinion of your old order, Obi-wan, but I thought they had more respect for life than this." Jango shook his head. "Even I have a hard time wrapping my head around the  _ jetii _ signing off on this."

Obi-wan sighed.  _ "I know. All the excuses in the world don't make up for allowing this. It's obviously a secret project with a very limited number of people working on it, and it's probably fair to assume they don't know the specifics of how the boys are being treated but… the sentient rights abuses inherent with cloning are exactly why there's never been a project of this scale done before!" _

"Cloning is only really morally accepted in terms of those who cannot reproduce otherwise," Akkus agreed. "Even setting aside the modifications and potential for failed 'attempts', the only reason for someone to want a clone in place of a droid is that the clone would have greater free thought and choice. And if you then have this sentient being made to work or fight for you without a choice in the matter, it's slavery."

_ "It goes against everything the Republic is supposed to stand for!"  _ Obi-wan snarled.  _ "The only way for this to be supported is for the people of the Republic and the Jedi to not even view them as truly alive, and I can see, plain as day, that they are!" _

Jango had never seen Obi-wan so…  _ angry _ . This discovery had truly cut him deeply. It put a slight damper on his happiness at Obi-wan's obvious rejection of the Republic and his old Order.

_ "Even beyond the fact that they can obviously think and feel independently, they also…"  _ He trailed off, before taking a deep breath and continuing.  _ "The youngest one. The original clone, he's - he's Force Sensitive, Jango." _

Jango's eyes widened, and Akkus actually gasped.

_ "I just wanted to comfort him when I found him, but when I reached out with the Force I found… well." _

"And you're sure?" Akkus asked before they could stop zirself.

_ "As sure as I've been of anything these past few days,"  _ Obi-wan answered, sounding very weary.  _ "I tell you, when this is over, I'm going to sleep for a month." _ He paused, then said.  _ "Akkus, I don't mean to be rude, but could I have a private word with 'alor?" _

"Of course," Akkus said, standing up. "I'll see to some of the logistics for tomorrow before heading to bed."

"Thank you, Akkus," Jango said.

Akkus bowed at the door, smiling. "Make sure you get some sleep tonight,  _ Alor'ika. _ " And zir left before Jango could retort.

Rolling his eyes, he turned back to Obi-wan's projection. "What is it?' He asked.

Obi-wan seemed to hesitate, gathering his courage, before asking.

_ "What, exactly, are you planning to do with the boys?" _

"Give them a home, of course."

_ "Well yes, I knew that."  _ And there was some joy for Jango in realizing that Obi-wan had never doubted they would take the children in - not that he should've doubted it.

_ "I meant what you, specifically, were going to do. They're your clones, Jango. Are you just going to rehome them on Manda’yaim, or…" _

"I've every intention of adopting the lot myself," Jango assured him, and there was another little flash of joy at Obi-wan's obvious relief.

_ "Good. I don't know what I would've done otherwise." _

"Were you considering adopting them yourself?" Jango asked curiously. They were going to be his children soon enough anyway, if Jango had his way.

He couldn't be sure in the hologram, but he was confident Obi-wan was blushing.

_ "Well, I - I mean…"  _ He sighed.  _ "I was mostly thinking about the baby. They've kept him so isolated and I… he needs real care." _

"He also needs you," Jango told him earnestly. A child isolated for so much of its early development would naturally latch onto the first person to show it care and attention. Their shared Force Sensitivity would likely only heighten that bond.

"I'll need you too," he added, watching Obi-wan's Holo carefully.

Predictably, the man blushed and looked away, before stuttering out a response.

_ "Jango, that's - I mean I hardly - I don't-" _

"Obi-wan," he interrupted firmly, fighting back a grin. "I wasn't being poetic. I just committed myself to adopting 7 children overnight. I am  _ absolutely _ going to need your help."

There was a brief pause before Obi-wan laughed, and Jango allowed himself to smile.

_ "You could've made that clearer!" _

"But then I wouldn't have gotten to enjoy your reaction!" Jango countered.

Obi-wan shook his head, still smiling.

"We should get there sometime in the morning after next on that planet's time," Jango told him, sobering up a little. “We’ll get a confirmed time table sent to you in a few hours.” Obi-wan nodded.

_ "I'll try and scout out a good location for us to hold up when I'm with the kids. I'll bring them out to my ship if I have to; it's not like anyone here could stop me."  _ After a moment's hesitation, he added.  _ "I suppose once you're here you might as well use that tracking chip to find us. It'll be safer that way." _

"Right." A pause. "I'm… sorry about that, by the way. I shouldn't have doubted you."

_ "I understood your reasoning then and I still understand it now. We might as well get some use out of it." _

Jango nodded, then asked, tentatively, "Can you tell me anything about the boys?"

_ "Not much right now. They've had it drilled into them that they're going to be Republic soldiers. Far more disciplined than boys their age ought to be. And the older one - they just call him 'Ninety-Nine' - has obviously been ill-treated, though I have no idea if that's at the hands of the other boys or just the Kaminoans. Hopefully just the cloners." _

"That's the one with the malformed spine?"

_ "Yes. He's the only one left over from an earlier batch." _

"But the youngest boy biologically is the eldest chronologically?" This seemed to be getting rather elaborate.

_ "I assume he is, though I have no idea if they've actually taken genetic material from him yet. If any of the others were made from your initial sample, it's possible they're the same age or older. Not by much, though." _

"This is so strange," Jango murmured.

_ "I know. And they're likely to be a little hostile at first. They have loyalty to the Republic ingrained in them." _

"We can fix that," Jango said absent-mindedly.

_ "Really? How? Do tell." _ The jab was to be expected, though Jango noticed there was a little less bite in Obi-wan’s voice.

Jango rolled his eyes. "Peace,  _ ner'kadau _ . Wasn't it the will of the Force that led you here on  _ our _ behalf? Can you really say you don't belong?"

_ "I would've opposed this project regardless of what colors I wore," _ Obi-wan answered coldly.  _ "My personal loyalties don't determine right from wrong." _

"Where and whom we serve  _ does _ inform our view of what is necessary," Jango countered. "If you'd been given an army to lead and an enemy to fight, how much time could you really devote to considering the ethical origins of that army?" Before Obi-wan could think of an answer, he added: "I don't doubt that you would've treated the men under your command fairly, Obi, but you'll forgive if this hasn't given me  _ more  _ faith in the Republic and the  _ jetii _ ."

Obi-wan grit his teeth and glared at him, but he didn't respond. Jango was sure that, in another place and time, this would not be the end of the argument. But Obi-wan was off balance, still upset and angry with the Republic and his old Order, and his mind was mostly on other things.

"Get some rest, Obi-wan. I’ll come find you when we land.” They could get there a little faster if they needed to, but stealth wasn’t a concern, and most of the variables that came with a night attack would concern the boys.

_ “I imagine you’ll be working through some anger issues first.”  _ And wasn’t his  _ ven’riduur _ getting to know him so well? 

“Probably,” He agreed. “Want to make a good first impression, I suppose.”

_ “I’ll try and get some names out of them tomorrow. I’d be surprised if boys this far along hadn’t thought of some for themselves. You should think about one for the baby, though.” _

That thought hadn’t actually occurred to him. He’d had the vague thought that of course he would adopt someday, but he hadn’t given a lot of deep thought to it. And he certainly hadn’t thought up names - adoption usually meant the child already  _ had _ a name. And then there was - 

He realized he’d been staring off into space for a few seconds.

“Ah, sorry, Obi-wan, I think I only just realized how much I'm gonna have to do.”

_ “At least you can count on most of them being fairly well behaved.” _

“Unless they choose not to be. I remember plenty of my own childhood.”

Obi-wan snorted. And Jango grinned. Whatever the topic, talking with Obi-wan always seemed to lift his spirits.

“Good night, Obi-wan.”

_ “Good night, Jango. I’ll see you soon.” _

He switched off the holo-display, and Jango got up and stretched. Thinking up names for an infant was certainly an odd way to prepare for an invasion, but it was clearly what this one called for. He could only hope the other boys had already chosen names for themselves. His creativity could only be stretched so far.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote *way more* of Obi-wan totally not being the clones new Dad than I expected to, so while I was gonna have this chapter cover both their day together and the attack on Kamino, it is now just an extra long batch of wholesomeness. Enjoy.

“Hello there,” Obi-wan cooed quietly as he lifted the still sleepy baby out of it’s crib. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?” The baby made an indistinct noise, wrapped its arms around Obi-wan’s neck, and promptly fell back asleep. He chuckled to himself as he turned to leave the room, pointedly ignoring Taun We’s expression, that seemed to show the Kaminoan rethinking Obi-wan’s mental state.

The boys were gathered in a room well away from the heart of the facilities, as Obi-wan had requested. The Kaminoans had clearly come to think of him as something of an eccentric, but he assuaged them by simply saying that he didn’t want to disturb their important work.

They were standing at attention again, and Ninety-Nine, clearly not understanding why he was even there, stood near the corner of the room. Obi-wan gave him a reassuring smile.

“Thank you Taun We, that will be all,” He said, not even looking at the cloner. He could sense the Kaminoans' hesitation.

“Are you sure, Master Kenobi? I can always -”

“I’m quite sure, thank you. Have meals delivered here at their usual times. Otherwise, I would like us to be undisturbed.”

“Of course,” Taun We said stiffly. “I’ll be taking my leave, then.”

Obi-wan waited until he was gone before giving the boys a more honest smile.

“That’s better. Now why don’t we all sit here - make a circle on the floor. You too, Ninety-Nine.”

The boy hesitated. “Um, I don’t think, sir… t-that is, Master Kenobi-”

“Now, now, none of that,” Obi-wan corrected kindly. “All of you can just call me Obi-wan. And I’ve no intention of excluding you. Please, sit.” He thought he caught a flash of approval in 2224’s eyes. That was good - He would’ve hated it if the boys turned out to be bullies.

They formed a small circle, Obi-wan carefully positioning the baby so that it sat in his lap. He didn’t wake up, his head simply resting against Obi-wan’s chest as he slumbered on. Ninety-Nine hesitantly sat down on Obi-wan’s right, between him and 7657.

“Now, I want to be clear that I’m not here to review all of you as soldiers today. Maybe, one day in the future, you will be, but for now, as far as I’m concerned, you’re all just children.” He smiled. They looked a little unsure of what to make of his words; after all, right now there was no doubt in any of their minds that they would become soldiers. But he pressed on. “I’d like to get to know you all. And with that in mind, I hope you won’t mind introducing yourselves again. But -” He added, as 2224 opened his mouth to speak. “Before you start giving me your designations again, I’d like to know if any of you have thought up names for yourselves, _ real _ names, I mean.” The fact that suddenly none of them would meet his eyes told him that they had.

“If you haven’t, or are uncomfortable sharing them, I’ll understand,” He said encouragingly. “But I’d much rather call you by what you call yourself then a string of numbers.”

Obi-wan wasn’t surprised by their obvious hesitation. Individuality of any kind would hardly be encouraged by those seeking to build a clone army. What was surprising was how many of them shot glances at 2224 while they made up their mind. It seemed they viewed him as something of a leader.

The one to speak up first, though, was 7567. 

“Um, I, uh, I go by… Rex… sometimes… sir,” He told him, voice growing quieter as he spoke.

“Thank you for telling me, Rex.” Obi-wan said gently, and the boy gave him a shy smile. “But no ‘sirs’, alright?” He reminded the group at large. “I’m just Obi-wan today.”

The next to introduce himself sat on Obi-wan’s left side, and said his name was  _ Cody _ . Then, in the order they were sitting in, the other boys introduced themselves as  _ Wolffe _ ,  _ Fox _ , and  _ Ponds _ .

“And you?” Obi-wan inquired of Ninety-Nine.

“Oh!” The boy jumped at being addressed. “Um… I don’t really have one. I’ve always just been Ninety-Nine.”

Obi-wan reached over and rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “If that's what you want people to call you, then that’s fine. But why don’t you give it some thought, ok?” Ninety-Nine nodded and looked down at the ground. He didn’t look sad, though - just thoughtful.

“Now, why don’t you all tell me about your time here.” Obi-wan said.

Over the next few hours Obi-wan was able to get a pretty good grasp of the boys educational levels. They could read and write in Basic, and seemed to have an extensive vocabulary for their age, much of it comprised of words relating to combat or technology. They were ahead in math, but seemed mostly ignorant of the galaxy at large. They had never seen anyone other than the Kaminoans, each other, and now Obi-wan. He was sure the diversity of Manda’yaim would be overwhelming at first, and made a mental note to pass that along to Jango before they arrived.

The exception, unfortunately, seemed to be Ninety-Nine. While he was as sheltered as the rest of the boys, he had never been taught at  _ all _ , save for basic speech. But that was alright, Obi-wan knew. He’d teach the boy himself if he had to.

As the time went on, the boys began to relax, starting to interrupt and talk over each other as they told Obi-wan about their experiences. Far from trying to restore order, he encouraged it. The kids were used to having discipline forced upon them, but they were still so very young, and Obi-wan wanted them to speak freely about their thoughts and feelings.

As they relaxed, he was also able to see more of their individual personalities shine through. From the way they talked and the stories they’d told - they’d begun to regale him with tales of the combat drills they ran, which weren't quite as intense as Obi-wan had feared, but were still more than children their age should have to do - he found that Rex was creative and daring, even if it sometimes got him into trouble; Fox was impulsive and loud; Wolffe seemed to be trying hard to be the serious one of the group, even as he ruined the effect himself by making jokes; Ponds and Cody both seemed to be quieter. Ponds, less by his own admission and more from the piling on of praises from his brothers, was apparently the academic success, and Cody seemed more naturally empathetic than the others. Obi-wan thought he could see why the others seemed to look to him as a leader.

He had to admit to himself, though, that the differences were relatively slight. They were all still very young, and didn't have the experiences of a natural-born child their age. They all looked and sounded the same, they had the same speech patterns, the same capabilities. Even as the differences in their personalities became more apparent the more animated they got, Obi-wan knew that to most people they would all seem the same.

It was just as well then that Obi-wan knew Jango to be an almost unnaturally keen observer. He was sure the man would be able to figure out where each child excelled and what help they needed even without Obi-wan’s help.

About an hour and a half into the day, the baby woke up. At first he clung to Obi-wan, watching the others in silence, with wide, curious eyes. Shortly thereafter, he had begun to join in the conversation, by making a few loud noises and shaking his little fists in the air. While at first the only reaction to this seemed to be some mild annoyance from Wolffe and Fox, the boys quickly decided - likely convinced by Obi-wan’s own amusement - that the baby was actually quite fun, and it wasn’t long before the little boy was squirming to get out of Obi-wan’s lap.

Obi-wan kept a careful eye on him as he bravely explored this new environment, a task that took the form of him slowly crawling over to each of his brothers in turn and investigating, mostly by staring at them, tugging on their clothes, and occasionally making a loud exclamation. In their turn, the boys followed Obi-wan’s example by smiling and indulging the baby by letting him do as he pleased, before sending him on his way. The baby actually hugged Ninety-Nine's leg when he reached him, and the older boy seemed to have no idea what to do, awkwardly putting one hand on the baby’s shoulder in turn. He was rewarded with an excited  _ “Ba!” _ noise, and the baby hugged him tighter. Spurred on by Obi-wan’s encouraging gesture, Ninety-Nine gave the boy a one-armed hug. After a second or two, the baby wriggled free and happily completed his circuit by crawling back to Obi-wan and settling there, his side pressed to Obi-wan’s leg, before becoming mesmerized by his own feet.

The boy was probably old enough to be speaking, Obi-wan reasoned, and it was just that no one had ever taught him any words. He was tempted to try and get a few words out of him, before deciding that that was more Jango’s privilege. He was greatly enjoying the time he was spending with them all, but also took comfort in knowing that this wasn’t the end of it; far from excluding him, Jango had indicated that he wanted Obi-wan to very much be involved with their lives going forward. He wondered how. As their tutor, perhaps? It made some sense, provided the boys didn’t all decide they hated him the next morning.

Lunch was served, and the Kaminoan who delivered it swiftly disappeared. With Obi-wan’s permission, they rearranged the room’s scant furniture. Rex hopped up on a chair to eat food at the table; Wolffe and Fox decided to use another chair as a table itself, sitting on either side of it with their trays placed on the seat. Given that the chair stood almost as tall as them when they were sitting, it wasn’t very effective. Their cheeks pinked when they caught Obi-wan’s amused look, but stubbornly stayed where they were, committed. Cody and Ponds sat closer to Obi-wan, asking him random questions about the galaxy between mouthfuls of food, and Ninety-Nine and the baby sat on the other side of Obi-wan, Ninety-Nine very sweetly helping the baby eat. The baby did have a few teeth, but was struggling. The food  _ was _ soft, but it was obviously just a slightly modified version of the rest of the boys' food; a sandwich, a few small pieces of fruit, and a bottle of water. Ninety-Nine had carefully watched Obi-wan crush up the first piece of fruit before offering to do the rest, and Obi-wan had accepted the offered help with a smile, before turning back to his own tray, though he watched them out of the corner of his eyes, seeing Ninety-Nine carefully feeding the mushed up fruit to the baby with a spoon, and tear off small pieces of the sandwich for him to eat. Ninety-Nine's own portions, Obi-wan noticed with a flash of anger, seemed smaller than the others.

It was after lunch that things got tricky. The boys wanted to know about the Republic. This was natural, but their future with it wasn’t a bridge he was willing to cross yet. Not only were they almost certainly on camera, but if he let anything slip, the boys could, intentionally or unintentionally, cause problems for tomorrow. Still, Obi-wan was an experienced diplomat. While the children were far more direct and blunt than most politicians, they were also much easier to redirect in conversation. Questions about how the Republic operated under normal circumstances were fine, even if he wasn’t quite as complimentary as he might once have been. Questions about how and where they might serve turned into discussions of a planet's climate or it's capital. His wealth of information about the galaxy, born from an abundance of reading and travel, was paying dividends now. He was particularly proud of himself for diverting a question of Wolffe’s about ship-to-ship combat by asking him how the ship's weapons functioned, and Wolffe proudly began reciting everything he knew about how a regular cannon operates.

The baby also proved to be unintentionally helpful, as he grew fussier and began to loudly pester Obi-wan and the other boys for attention. When the boy was calmed and conversation resumed, Obi-wan was able to gently steer them all in a different direction.

After dinner, a basic stew this time - and he caught himself wondering how the boys would react to Mandalorian food, something with  _ real _ flavor - the boys eagerly asked him to come watch them run some drills. While he’d had no intention of making them run any today - or ever again, for that matter - it was obvious they just wanted to show off for him, and he couldn’t bring himself to refuse them. So, with the baby in his arms, and Ninety-Nine now walking alongside him instead of behind everyone, he followed the 5 boys down what felt like a maze of identical corridors.

He was directed to a viewing platform along with Ninety-Nine as the boys geared up. The course was a sort of target range obstacle course, with 5 identical rows side-by-side. The boys each had what amounted to a very precise laser-pointer to hit the targets with. Once they got a confirmed shot, they were to hurry on to the next target, through increasingly difficult terrain. The guns didn’t have a very long range, and the angles to shoot from gradually grew more restrictive. They were then graded on speed, precision and number hit.

“They are graded on number hit,” The Kaminoan running the test - Obi-wan hadn’t bothered getting his name - explained. “Because we didn’t put barriers between the courses. So while they’re identical runs, the clones could try to get extra points by sniping targets on a neighbouring range.”

“And is that considered a negative or positive reflection on the cadet who does it?” Obi-wan asked, thinking he knew the answer.

“Oh,  _ very _ negative, of course. They need to work together.”

_ Ah yes, why take basic human nature into account? _ Obi-wan thought sourly. The baby squirmed in his arms and he hurriedly sent out a calming feeling into the Force. He had been so focused on the others he had actually forgotten the boy’s Force Sensitivity for a moment.

The run went more or less in line with Obi-wan’s expectations. The boys goals were fundamentally different than the last time they had run this, and it was a good way to see their differing personalities at play.

Cody and Ponds, both on the tracks nearest the viewing platform, kept their heads down and focused, actions methodical and precise. Rex, in the middle, got out ahead at first, until he attempted a trick shot, missed, lost his balance, and fell off of a raised platform. He got up quickly, blushing crimson, and continued the course without trying anything else flashy. Fox, at the far end, stopped to take a shot and steal one of Wolffe’s targets. Wolffe stopped to yell at Fox. Fox was too busy laughing to keep going. Cody finished first, Ponds just a second behind. Rex came in about 10 seconds after. Wolffe and Fox didn’t actually cross the finish line, as Wolffe tackled Fox to the ground just before it.

Obi-wan couldn’t help but laugh. Even from this vantage point he could recognize a friendly scuffle. Rex looked like he wanted to join in, but Cody grabbed his shoulder while Ponds pulled the other two apart. From the way the Kaminoan was tutting next to him, he was sure such behavior had been repressed in the boys for far too long.

“A truly terrible showing,” The Kaminoan said. “I promise you, Master Kenobi, they can do better than this.”

“Your sensibilities are lacking,” Obi-wan said dryly. “They’re children. They’re  _ playing _ . I see nothing out there that bothers me in the slightest.” From the look he was getting in return, Obi-wan was sure that the Kaminoan felt he was ruining months of their hard work.

Well, he was.

“Can you please take us down to where they’ll come out?” He asked Ninety-Nine, who nodded, before leading him back out of the room.

The 5 boys seemed to be in various states of embarrassment, Cody and Ponds mostly on their brothers behalf, but when they all saw Obi-wan’s wide grin and the baby waving his fists in the air excitedly, they all started chattering and laughing about their run on the course. Obi-wan absently checked Wolffe and Fox to make sure neither had left a mark - they hadn’t, of course - before speaking.

“I’m glad you had fun today,” He told them, still grinning. The baby yawned and settled itself more comfortably in his arms.

“The MOST fun!” Fox exclaimed, practically bouncing in place. “How long are you gonna stay?”

“You were just here for an inspection, weren’t you?” Cody asked.

“I’ll be with you lot for a while yet,” He assured them, and was touched at the collective relief and pleasure he sensed from the group. “Now, I want you all to get to bed.”

“But it’s not lights out yet,” Rex pointed out, frowning.

“I know,” Obi-wan replied. “But I’ve got something special planned for tomorrow, and I’ll need you all up bright and early.” A buzz of interest ran through the group, and he held a hand to forestall any questions. “And it’s a  _ surprise _ . Now, do you think the Kaminoans would give you any problems if you tried to leave your rooms on your own?”

The boys exchanged looks.

“Probably not,” Ponds said slowly.

“Especially if we say we’re doing something for you!” Rex added, clearly excited.

Obi-wan nodded and turned to look at Ninety-Nine. “And you?” He asked. Ninety-Nine nodded.

“Oh, it won’t be any problem. No one pays any attention to me here anyway.” A strange look crossed over his face before he added: “Except for all of you, I mean.”

Obi-wan stroked his beard, thinking.

“How about this, then?” He said, turning to address the group. He was pretty sure the baby had fallen asleep, so he kept his voice low. “Ninety-Nine will come get you in the morning, and bring you back to the same room we spent today in. If that’ll work?” He asked, turning back to the older boy.

Ninety-Nine nodded vigorously. “I can do that, sure. Could probably even avoid some of the staff if it’s that important.”

Obi-wan grinned. “Why not make a game of it, then? See if you can make it there without being spotted. And I’ll do the same with this one.” He said, shifting the baby a little. He was definitely asleep. “Any questions? Complaints?”

One by one, they all shook their heads.

“Right. Off to bed then.” The boys nodded and turned to leave.

“Um…” They stopped, and everyone turned to face Ninety-Nine.

“Yes?” Obi-wan asked.

“I just - uh… sorry…”

“What is it, my dear boy?” Obi-wan asked again.

“I just… thought up a name.” The last part came out rushed, but Obi-wan understood it.

“Wonderful!” He said, then waited, well aware the other boys were all watching attentively.

“I just thought…I mean, it’s not very - but it…” He took a shaky breath. “What about... just…Nines? I mean, I don’t hate the name Ninety-Nine, but I don’t really want - I mean I  _ do _ want -”

He was saved from the rest of his stammering as Obi-wan pulled him into a one-armed hug. After a moment, likely on a cue from Cody, the rest of the boys piled on as well.

“If it’s the name you want,” Obi-wan said. “Then I think it’s perfect.”

Nines sniffed and wiped at his eyes as the others pulled away. The baby mumbled something in his sleep.

“Now, I want you all to get moving at first light, alright? Get to bed.” The boys nodded again, and to Obi-wan’s pleasant surprise, Ponds reached up and took Nines’ hand, and led the still sniffling boy out of the room.

Parting from the baby was again hard, but he was already asleep this time, and Obi-wan took comfort in the fact that he would never have to leave the child here again.

He didn’t expect to get much sleep tonight. He’d need to meditate, to come to terms with what was going to happen tomorrow - the chain of events he had set in motion. He would also need to think about what he was going to say to the boys in the morning. He hadn’t exactly made his distaste for the Kaminoans a secret, but since he had avoided as much talk of the Republic as he could, he didn’t know how deep their feelings would go. The most important thing, he knew, was to make sure the boys didn’t hate themselves. More than how they felt about him, or Jango, or the Mandalorians, they had to know they weren’t anything to be despised. The cloning scheme may have been heinous, the people who made them may have been bad, but he had to make sure they knew that didn’t make  _ them _ bad. They were the goodness that came out of this evil.

And he would make sure they knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone was wondering, ‘Nines’ is a reference to Fives, as well as obviously being drawn from Ninety-Nine. Domino Squad may never exist in this universe, but I imagine they’ll always share a connection with Ninety-Nine :).


	7. Chapter 7

Using the Force to conceal his presence as he slipped back into the cloning facility was probably unnecessary, but he didn’t want to take any chances. The cruiser would be here soon, and having the boys wait until first light by planet time was already cutting it close.

His attempts to conceal himself seemed to have no effect on the baby, who promptly began squirming and wailing the moment Obi-wan entered the room. He hurried over to the crib and quickly lifted the baby out.

“Ssh, ssh, it’s alright dear, I’ve got you,” He said, gently rocking the baby in his arms to quiet it. It took a few minutes this time, even with the Force. Perhaps, since he had left him when he was asleep, the baby had panicked when it woke up alone. 

He wasn’t sure, but just the thought made him feel terrible.

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” He repeated soothingly, as the baby calmed down. “Today's a big day, you know. You get to meet you  _ buir _ . Get a proper name. Start heading toward your new home.” His talking seemed to help calm the child further, and soon enough he was relaxed in Obi-wan’s arms.

“Now I do need you to try and keep quiet,” He murmured, knowing full well the child wouldn’t understand.

He made his way through the corridors as quickly as he dared, avoiding detection by sensing the Kaminoans through the Force. He didn’t know the layout of the facility particularly well - he had been focused on other things during his tour - but he knew what direction he was heading in, and he could sense that the boys had gotten there ahead of him.

“We win!” Fox proclaimed the moment he entered the room. He was sitting on the table, kicking his feet in the air, the others all around him.

“So you do,” Obi-wan chuckled. “This one was feeling a bit fussy.”

“Why?” Cody asked.

“He was probably lonely,” Nines said. “They keep him all by himself on the other side of the facility, not together like us.”

“Well, it won’t be like that for much longer,” Obi-wan promised.

He kept hold of the baby as he sat down, motioning for the boys to join him.

“So, what's the assignment?” Rex asked eagerly.

“Nothing, for now. We have to wait a bit.” No more than a couple of minutes though. “We can find something else to pass the time, though. Do you have any more questions for me?”

The boys were obviously all still sleepy as looks of sudden concentration crossed their faces. The first to speak up, though, was Nines.

“You don’t like this place very much, do you?” He asked quietly.

Everyone turned to him, and he blushed.

“I-I mean, I  _ don’t _ mean us, just -”

“You’re right,” Obi-wan interrupted, and now all of the attention was squarely on him. “Though of course you’re also right that I don’t-not-like all of you,” He added with a smile. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say I like you all quite a bit.” The boys all returned his smile.

“But why don’t you like it here?” Cody asked.

“It’s not you,” Obi-wan assured them. “But truthfully? It’s everything else.” They were all watching him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He tried his best to keep smiling. “If all this facility was made to do was to bring wonderful children like you all into this galaxy, I would be fully in support of it. But that’s not what they do here, is it?” He asked sadly.

After a moment of silence, he said, “All of you, try something with me. Hold out your right hand,” They did. “And place it over your heart." They did that as well. “Feel it beating? That right there is proof that you’re  _ alive _ . You may have been cloned, yes, but you’re a living, breathing person now. You have your own thoughts and feelings and wants and needs… You’re not just… product. You’re people.”

The boys all exchanged confused looks.

“But we were made for the Republic,” Cody said, confused.

“And I’m glad you were,” Obi-wan said, reaching over and smoothing a lock of Cody's hair back. “But if an army was what the Republic wanted, they should’ve built droids, not… commissioned the creation of  _ living beings _ to use as disposable soldiers. Because you’re  _ not _ disposable!” He insisted, looking from one confused face to the next. “Answer me honestly, were any of you ever  _ asked _ if you wanted to serve the Republic?”

He was met with silence.

“Therein lies the problem with how you’ve been treated,” Obi-wan explained. “Some of you might want to go on to become soldiers because you’ll have decided that you  _ want to be _ soldiers, and that’ll be fine! But like every living being in this galaxy you deserve a  _ choice _ . And they aren’t going to give you that here.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Even setting all that aside, and it’s a  _ lot _ to set aside, think about everything they’ve done here. Think about how many of your brothers were - were killed, just so they could do research!” They all looked away from him now, eyes downcast. He wondered if they had known any of the earlier batches of clones. Nines certainly had.

And then he felt the cruiser come out of hyperspace above him. 

Interestingly, the baby seemed to sense it too, looking up at the ceiling.

Obi-wan held him tighter as a massive explosion shook the entire facility. The boys predictably jumped to their feet, voices rising in a mix of panic and confusion as alarms began to go off around the facility, but Obi-wan had learned how to call orders on a battlefield, and he didn’t need the Force to make himself heard.

“Stay where you are! Sit  _ down _ !” He called. The alarms kept going, but the boys fell silent, looking at him. 

“But… we’re being attacked!”

“I  _ know, _ Cody.” The boy stared at him in open-mouthed shock as another explosion shook the facility. There was only one AA gun left.

“You  _ know _ ?” Cody repeated in a very small voice.

“Yes,” Obi-wan said quietly, before holding up a hand for silence. Another explosion, this one a little further away.

“That should be the last of those,” He sighed, almost to himself as he ran through the baby’s curly hair as it shook quietly in his arms.

“I… don’t understand.” Cody said slowly, voice shaking.

“They aren’t damaging the facility, not with us inside,” Obi-wan said absently. “Those were the AA guns being destroyed. The rest happens on foot.”

“Who… is it?” Rex asked quietly.

“The Mandalorians.” There was a collective gasp, before Obi-wan added; “Your progenitor is leading the charge, in fact.” The dropships had landed; he could sense the Mandalorians getting to work. He’d thrown up shields around himself and the baby, but could still sense the battering they were taking as lives were extinguished throughout the facility.

“But how could you - did you  _ call _ them?” Wolffe asked, aghast.

“We came here together, actually. I just came down to the planet on my own.”

“But I thought you were a Jedi!” Fox exclaimed.

“I was. But I’m not anymore.” And oh, did it  _ hurt _ to say that.

"Why?" Asked Cody, who sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Obi-wan sighed and turned to face them more fully. He'd decided the night before that it was best to be honest with them.

"I didn't choose to leave the Republic. I was captured in combat. But… I am choosing to stay." And that was true. He didn't know if he'd ever tell Jango - didn't know if the man had figured it out on his own - but it would've been easy to lie, say that he needed more time here, and had the Kaminoans send a message to Republic Command or the Jedi Council. He could even have given the rough coordinates of the cruiser Jango had been on, changed the balance of power in the entire galaxy. But once he had seen the kids, when he had understood what this facility had been doing… he just couldn’t. He couldn’t condone what had been done or allow it to continue. This was the only option remaining to him.

“With how few people in the Republic know about this, the Kaminoans thought I’d been sent here in secret to inspect them.” Obi-wan explained calmly. “That was a lie; however, I wasn’t sent here by the Mandalorians either. I was guided by the Force. It showed me this planet, and made it clear that what was happening here was terrible. I didn’t know what to expect. Only that I had to do something about it. The Mand’alor listened to me. And when I got here, I realized that the Force was guiding me to save all of you.”

“From… the Republic?” Ponds asked hesitantly.

Obi-wan couldn’t manage a smile. He could only look at Ponds sadly as he answered.

“Rescue you from _ here _ , dear boy. The Republic… doesn’t view you as citizens. As people. I don’t need a statement from the Chancellor to understand that. Politics has a knack for making things seem complicated, but it boils down to the fact that if you were viewed as proper citizens this project could never even have been started, let alone allowing the Kaminoans to do what they’ve done. The suffering this place has borne witness to was enough to reach me through the Force. I can’t support the Republic for causing this… But I can support the people who would put an end to it, and take you away from here.”

They were quiet for a bit, and Obi-wan let them be. This could already have gone much worse, and they needed time to think. 

So did he, for that matter.

It wasn’t that he’d been ignorant of the fact that he was so clearly divorcing himself from the Jedi and the Republic over this, but he hadn’t had time to consider what that really meant. As much as he’d been reluctantly settling into life on Manda’yaim, he had never stopped thinking that he would have to escape one day. But even though it was likely that the Republic would never know of his personal involvement here,  _ he _ would never be able to forget.

And he didn’t want to leave the kids. They would be part of Jango’s family, and Jango had asked him for help. Obi-wan had every intention to oblige. And you could hardly be planning to spend all of your time with the Mand’alor and his family and pretend you were anything other than Mandalorian.

Was this it? Was he integrated now? He still viewed himself as separate to the Mandalorians, but here he was, accepting that that was simply a mindset that would fade with time. Was… he going to help integrate the kids? Although, if they never actually rejected Jango or being Mandalorian, they would hardly have to go through that process.

It wasn’t quite the same, he decided.

The integration program still existed, of course, and none of his issues with it had suddenly vanished. But he wasn’t choosing to side with the Mandalorians because of it, at least not directly. It was the actions taken by the Republic and the Jedi that had changed his mind, that had given him cause to accept the outstretched hand Jango had offered him.

It was a strange way to find comfort for his actions, but it was what he had.

“Do you… really think this will be better?” Fox asked timidly.

“Yes,” Obi-wan said, and giving the answer felt strangely liberating. “I honestly do. The care and health of children is the highest priority in Mandalorian society. Whatever these cloners said, you  _ are _ children. And I know that the Mand’alor and the others see you as such. They’ll take care of you, let you live the lives you choose to live.” He could see his words were having some effect, and he felt an immense wave of relief. It seemed they would need little or no convincing. He guessed it was because of their age more than anything.

He could sense Jango approaching. Apparently he’d had his fill of the day's violence.

“What about you?” Nines asked quietly.

Obi-wan turned to him, smiling slightly.

“What about me?” He repeated, amused. “If you’re worried about my health, you needn’t be. This mission had the Mand’alor’s personal approval. I’m going back with all of you.” After a moment, he added. “As for after this, well, I’ll be around as much as you all want me to be.”

“Promise?” Cody asked.

“I promise.” Obi-wan affirmed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. The boy giggled as the door slid open.

Jango strode into the room in full  _ beskar’gam _ . Obi-wan recognized it from his initial capture. He caught sight of two guards outside the door before it slid closed. The baby squirmed in his grip, and he adjusted to hold him better.

Jango took his helmet off as he reached them, placing it on the table.

“Kenobi,” He said, inclining his head towards him.

“‘Alor,” Obi-wan responded in kind, bowing his head as well.

Jango’s expression was carefully schooled into a polite smile, but the feelings he was giving off in the Force told a different story. Nervousness, excitement, joy, even pride. It took a moment for Obi-wan to realize that Jango was feeling pride in  _ him _ . That was something to address later.

Jango dropped to one knee so that he was almost on eye level with the boys, his smile slipping into something more genuine and warm.

“Hello,  _ ad’ika _ ,” He greeted them kindly. The boys shrank back a bit, looking at him with wide eyes. To Jango’s credit, he didn’t react. “I’m sure you know who I am, But I hope you won’t mind if I introduce myself anyway. I’m Jango Fett. I’m the Mand’alor. And I came here with Obi-wan to bring you home.”

_ Now that’s odd.  _ Obi-wan thought. Why mention him? Was it just an attempt to play on any goodwill Obi-wan might have drummed up?

“Bring us… home?” Rex repeated timidly.

"Yes," Jango said. "You're certainly not staying here." He examined them a second longer, before stating, firmly, " _ Ni kir’tayl gai sa’ad _ . Though I suppose they haven't taught you any Mando'a here."

Obi-wan could sense Jango's faint amusement as the confused children looked to him for explanation. Better than him being mad, Obi-wan supposed. Jango gestured to him to explain, and Obi-wan obliged.

"It's a statement of adoption." He explained to the boys. "He intends to take you all as his children." Their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and they looked back at Jango.

"It only makes sense," Jango said, grinning. "And I'm sure-" he didn't get to finish his sentence, however, as the baby began to cry loudly and struggle in Obi-wan's arms, hands reaching out toward Jango. The adults shared a bewildered look even as Jango got to his feet and crossed over to where Obi-wan sat with the baby.

"I didn't mean to ignore you," Jango said to the baby as he took him from Obi-wan. "But I guess you're pretty opinionated, huh?" The baby wriggled happily, hands reaching for Jango's smiling face. "It's nice to meet you, Boba," Jango said softly, though he was still loud enough for the others to hear him.

The newly christened Boba waved his arms and feet happily.

"I imagine he should be about the age where he starts speaking." Obi-wan told Jango. "If not already there. I don't think anyone's tried teaching him any words."

"Hmmm," Jango said, making a show of studying the baby in his arms. "How about  _ buir _ , huh?" He asked Boba. "Can you say  _ buir _ for me?" He lifted the boy above his head, and Boba began laughing in excitement, waving his arms. "Can you?  _ Buir _ ?"

"Ba! Ba!"

Jango laughed. "Well, it's a start." He switched his hold on Boba so the boy was now resting his head on Jango's shoulder, and he turned his attention back to the other boys.

"So that's me and this one sorted," he said, tone light and friendly. "Why don't you all tell me your names?"

The boys all exchanged looks, and Obi-wan could see the point where they made up their minds.

"I'm Cody."

"Rex."

"Wolffe."

"Ponds."

"Fox!"

And then, after a nudge of encouragement from Obi-wan,

"N-Nines."

"Thank you," Jango said, and Obi-wan could sense his sincerity and pleasure that the boys were willing to be open with him.

"So is our last name Fett now?" Fox asked. 

"Yes it is." Jango answered. "You're both part of my clan and my children personally now."

They watched Fox mouth the words 'Fox Fett' to himself.

"Sounds weird," Fox decided.

"We're gonna look weird too," Wolffe said. "I mean, except for Rex and Nines, we all look the same!"

"We'll just have to bring Obi-wan with us if we go out anywhere," Jango said, straight-faced. "For diversity's sake."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes as the boys laughed. He got to his feet and addressed Jango, layering sarcasm into his voice.. “Just tell everyone you have really strong genes. Let them draw their own conclusions.” Jango laughed, and turned to examine the boys as they all got to their feet as well.

“Well,  _ ad’ika _ , ready to go home?” They looked at him, confused.

“It means ‘children’,” Obi-wan murmured, and there was a chorus of ‘ooooohs’ from the rest of the kids.

Jango, trying to look stern and failing, shook his head. “There’s clearly a lot of work to do here.”

“You poor dear,” Obi-wan muttered, not bothering to sound remotely sympathetic. “Come on, you lot, line up.”

The boys jumped to it, and soon Jango, Boba in his arms, was leading an orderly procession of children through the facility and to the waiting shuttle, Obi-wan bringing up the rear next to Nines.

Jango had the sense to either pick a route that hadn't seen any action or he had ordered some of the others to clean up before bringing the kids through, which Obi-wan appreciated.

The real surprise was waiting for them on the landing pad, where what must’ve been almost the whole landing party was arrayed in a circle. When they emerged into the view, they all burst in applause, several of them whooping and laughing.

The boys all stopped in their tracks, gaping. Jango raised the hand not holding Boba to his face and groaned. Nines shrank away from the noise, acting like he was trying to hide behind Obi-wan, who wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

Cody was drinking in the sight, looking from one end of the crowd to the other. Fox was drinking in the attention, waving around at the onlookers. Rex and Wolffe seemed to have suddenly developed stage fright, rooted to the spot, red-faced and staring down at their shoes. Ponds had strategically stepped almost directly behind Jango, effectively hidden from sight.

“They all look so…  _ different _ ,” Cody said in awe.

“I think you’ll find we’re more the exception than the rule,” Jango murmured, ruffling Cody’s hair. “When I get my hands on Akkus…” Because it  _ was _ Akkus of course, the culprit standing next to the ship’s ramp looking entirely too pleased with zirself.

Jango turned to look around at the boys, stopping to arch an eyebrow down at Ponds, who blushed and grinned up at him sheepishly. 

“How's this?” He proposed. “Everyone hold hands, and we’ll get through this as fast as possible.”

“We can’t just make a break for it?” Rex asked, voice so quiet they could barely hear him.

“We can’t  _ run _ ,” Jango chided him. “But we don’t have to stop for anyone either.”

So they did as he asked. Jango kept a firm hold on Boba with one arm, and took Cody’s hand, who took Rex's, who took Wolffe's, who took Fox's, who took Ponds', who took Nines', who held Obi-wan's with a slightly shaking hand.

Obi-wan figured they must look rather silly making their way to the ship this way, but the crowd did quiet some as they got closer, and he realized most of them were only just figuring out quite how young the boys were.

"You and I are gonna have a talk later," Jango growled to Akkus as they passed by, making their way up the ramp.

"Like you're ever gonna have free time again," Akkus retorted, zir eyes sparkling with amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jango has not forgotten his goal of getting Obi-wan into bed with him. (You know, in the metaphorical sense. He already did that in the literal sense.) I also do want to note the difference in Obi-wan’s mindset from here on; the goal of his Integration has been achieved, in that he accepts his new life with the Mandalorians, but he doesn’t have the same frame of reference that Integration would’ve given him.  
> Mando'a:  
> Beskar'gam: Mandalorian Armor  
> Ad'ika: Children/Kids/kid  
> Ni kir’tayl gai sa’ad: Mandalorian adoption vows.  
> Buir: Parent


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a weird little aside about me. It’s pretty normal to track a story’s success/reach by looking at the metrics; you know, hits, bookmarks, kudos, comments. But something I get stuck on, as an author on this site, is the comments. Namely, the fact that my responses to the comments get tracked the same as any other, so the comment count as it's being displayed to other users includes them. I know this doesn’t *really* matter, and it’s just me being stuck inside my own head, but the notion of responding to every single comment even when I don’t really have anything to say makes me uncomfortable. It feels like I’m “gaming the system” to make it look like the story has more engagement than it really does. It’s silly, but it’s a train of thought I just can’t quite shake myself of, so I just want to say to everyone that I really, REALLY appreciate all the comments and bookmarks and everything, and it means so much to me that so many people are enjoying what I’ve written. I get so excited when I see that there’s new comments or bookmarks and I read every single one. So just - thank you all, really. And I hope you continue to enjoy.

"Unfortunately, we didn't know who we were coming out here for," Jango said, "So we don't have that many empty rooms. You'll have to bunk together for now."

"'For now?'" Cody repeated curiously. "Will we not be later?"

Jango turned to him, frowning. Boba had fallen fast asleep a few minutes prior, and Jango now had both arms wrapped around him just in case.

"You can room together if you want to, of course." He told them. "But I'm pretty sure one of the privileges of being the Mand'alor is that all my children can have a room to themselves."

The boys took a second to think about that as they sat down. They had taken over the officers lounge on the upper deck, the crew members who would regularly use it graciously staying in their room or heading down to the regular crew levels, so the family would have sole access to it for the rest of the trip home.

"A room all to myself?" Ponds muttered dreamily. Rex gave him a mildly offended look.

"Where are you going to stay when we get back, anyway?" Obi-wan asked, back from pouring himself and Jango some caf. Jango gestured to the table, and Obi-wan set his cup there, before sitting down opposite him. "Is there room in the facility we were staying at?"

"Effao's working on getting us some temporary quarters," Jango explained. "But we'll probably end up remodeling an existing structure or building a new one at this point." Obi-wan hummed in thought.

"Um…" Nines' said slowly. "W-will Obi-wan be staying there with us?"

"I certainly hope so," Jango said, smiling at the redhead.

Obi-wan shifted uncomfortably. "If you'll have me, I suppose."

"Great!" Fox exclaimed. This woke Boba up, who promptly began to wail. Obi-wan disappeared to locate some acceptable food for him, while Jango desperately tried to calm the baby down. He did not succeed, and it wasn't until Obi-wan returned with a treat that the boy settled down, Obi-wan running a hand through his hair and speaking calmly to him.

"What a great start," Jango groaned, while Boba sucked happily on the candy Obi-wan had found from gods knew where. The other boys all seemed to have found the exercise quite entertaining.

"Remember, he's Force-Sensitive," Obi-wan muttered. "To an extent, he can feel what you're feeling. Try not to panic the next time he starts to cry and it'll go better."

"He's what?" Wolffe, who had been closest, asked curiously.

"Oh, right, I never mentioned," Obi-wan said, glancing at Jango, who gestured for him to explain.

"Boba is Force-Sensitive, like me," The redhead said simply.

A ripple of interest ran through the boys, and they crowded around Jango and Boba.

"So he's like a Jedi then?" Ponds asked.

After another quick glance at Jango, Obi-wan answered.

"I suppose it means he could've been, in a different life. However, Force Sensitivity is simply an aspect of someone's being. I am Force Sensitive, your  _ buir _ isn't." Jango hadn't even told the older boys to call him  _ buir _ yet. Obi-wan was the first to mention it.

"So he's… defective?" Rex asked, a hand unconsciously reaching up to his blonde hair.

"Being different is not the same as being defective," Jango said, a touch more fiercely than he needed to. He caught a look of approval on Obi-wan's face before he continued. "There's nothing wrong with Boba, or any of you for that matter. He and Obi-wan are just something the rest of us aren't."

It was remarkable how much his outlook on the Force had changed since meeting Obi-wan.

The boys nodded their understanding, a few of them still giving Boba curious looks as he gnawed fiercely on his candy, utterly enthralled with the strange new flavor.

"Now," Jango said. "First order of business is who's going where. We have two rooms with 3 beds each."

"Hang on," Obi-wan said almost immediately. "What about me?" Jango could see it took a second for the rest of the boys to do the mental math.

"You'll stay in my quarters with me and Boba," Jango replied, unconcerned. "Some of the soldiers managed to fashion a  _ buycika _ for him. It's already in there."

"Fine, but why do I need to be there too?"

"If we had that many rooms available, this lot wouldn't have to share 3 to a room," Jango pointed out. "We didn't know we'd be picking them up when we left with a full complement of soldiers." In truth, there were a couple empty rooms on the lower decks, but Jango wasn't going to have the boys be so far away from him, and he felt no desire to keep Obi-wan on a different deck either.

The look Obi-wan gave him was suspicious, but he let the matter drop for now.

"So, who's with who?" Jango asked, as though there had been no interruption.

"Um," Cody started, looking around at his brothers, before Obi-wan cut in again.

"Fox and Wolffe can stay in different rooms."

Both boys responded with such dramatic, outraged looks and gasped so loudly that Jango immediately sided with Obi-wan.

The rooms ended up being Cody, Wolffe, and Nines, and then Rex, Ponds, and Fox.

"Right," Jango said, clapping his hands together. "Foods in an hour. Until then, why don't you all start telling me about yourselves?"

According to Obi-wan later that night, the boys had been much quicker to open up to Jango than to the redhead. Jango credited that back to Obi-wan; he had helped them open up the first time. It was natural that it was easier the second.

They'd also hesitantly started calling him  _ buir _ at his and Obi-wan's gentle coaxing. The Mandalorian word was clearly strange on their lips, but they'd started getting used to it.

They told him many of the same stories they'd told Obi-wan, albeit now a little more embellished, more clearly trying to impress him without the possibility of the Kaminoans around to fact check them. Rex, much to the embarrassment of his brothers, told of Wolffe and Fox's scuffle while running the training course the previous day. Jango laughed and told them that meant they were growing into healthy young Mandalorians.

He was relieved beyond words at the boy's willingness to accept him, and their new home, even if they weren't there yet.

Watching them eat  _ real _ food, Mandalorian food, for the first time was a treat for both him and Obi-wan. Cody and Ponds were completely unable to handle the spiciness, but vowed to do better next time. Nines had evidently only been given scraps before, and admitted to having no idea what to do with all the food laid out before him. The first joke they ever heard him tell was when he asked Wolffe if he planned to stand out from his brothers by putting on weight when he offered to eat some of Nines' food for him. He then immediately apologized, turning bright red as the others laughed, and Wolffe had to assure him he wasn't offended.

As they cleared away lunch, Jango turned to Obi-wan.

"I just remembered. Can you take Nines down to medbay?"

Nines blinked. "What? Why? Wh-what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Obi-wan assured him, shooting Jango a glare for his lack of tact. "We want to see if there's any chance for corrective surgery. For your back, I mean."

Nines looked thunderstruck.

"Surgery? For my… back?"

"We don't know what they'll be able to do,  _ ad'ika _ ," Jango told him, deciding honesty was best. "There's a chance they won't be able to do anything, and we're hardly going to make you go through a risky operation. But they need to have a look, take scans to study for us to know one way or the other."

Nines, still looking awed at the possibility, hesitantly took Obi-wan's hand as the man led him out of the room.

Fox waited until the door slid closed before immediately rounding on Jango.

"Can they fix him,  _ buir _ ? Do you think so?"

"He's not broken," Jango said sternly, and made sure Fox looked properly contrite before continuing. "There wouldn't be a chance if he was much older. And I don't think they can fix it completely. But since he's still growing, what's likely is that they'll be able to do some corrective surgery to even it out a bit, so that when he grows, it'll straighten out more. Not a complete change, but better." He shrugged. "I mean, hopefully. By the way, you'll all be heading down there tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Rex asked loudly.

"They'll just be taking readings and samples while we're onboard. But we should be able to start some gene therapy for you boys when we get home. So you'll age properly from now on."

Cody frowned. "But… why? Isn't it better this way?"

Jango shook his head sadly. "Lots of  _ adiik _ think that way. That it would be better to skip all the growing up and just be an adult. But as an adult, I can promise it wouldn't be. You boys deserve to grow up properly and have as normal a life as you can get. Besides," he added grimly. "You wouldn't slow down to normal aging once you hit maturity. You'd keep going, grow old a lot faster and die sooner as a result. Longevity wasn't the Kaminoans intentions."

That put a sour mood over the group, interrupted when Jango realized Boba was attempting to steal food off his plate.

"I wouldn't do that,  Bob _ 'ika _ ," he warned the baby in a mock-serious voice, lifting the plate out of Boba's reach. The baby began to whine. "You won't thank me if I let you eat this. It's really hot."

"Ba!"

There was a clatter as some of his silverware hit the table. Jango blinked, before he abruptly realized what was happening, and hurriedly set the plate down before Boba knocked anything else off it.

"Boba," he said, semi-stern. "Don't use the Force to push your  _ buir' _ s food off his plate." The way the child pouted, he might well have understood what Jango had said.

"Now," Jango said, turning back to face the rest of his children. "What questions do you have for me?"

Quite a few, as it turned out. Interestingly, they seemed to have actually heard a great deal about him, and many of their questions were about some of his more famous campaigns, like  _ why he had done this _ , or  _ how he had done that _ . He tiptoed around his more violent outings, but answered the rest as honestly as he could, able to piece together a pretty good picture of the perspective they'd been taught from.

It was worth noting that they seemed not to have been taught much about his actions against the Republic - not that there had been near as many as against the Sith - and that perhaps explained their lack of hostility toward him.

Nines and Obi-wan returned partway through, Nines listening with awe, not having received the same education as the others. Obi-wan clearly found the discussion interesting too, although his main focus was on Boba, who, still upset with Jango over being denied food, had clearly decided he'd rather be with the redhead right now. Obi-wan was rocking him back and forth, apparently lulling him to sleep as the evening wound down.

After a quick dinner, Jango declared that it was time for bed. The boys complained that they weren't tired yet, but Jango saw through them. They'd had a very eventful day, and he wanted to make sure they were well rested for tomorrow. He led the boys to their temporary quarters, made sure they were settled in, and promised to have someone check on them overnight. Then he called Akkus, told zem that zir were going to get up in the middle of the night to check on the boys because Jango was both spiteful and powerful, and then he, Obi-wan, and Boba retired to his room.

Considering the  _ buycika _ had been thrown together from stray materials, it was rather impressive, sturdy with high sides, which was good, because Jango had a feeling, and Obi-wan agreed with him, that Boba was probably going to be a bit of an escape artist. The crew had also secured some bedding and a pillow, and there was even what looked like a wooden toy, crudely carved but carefully sanded. Boba didn’t stir as they placed him in there and went into the other room. Jango poured them both a glass of wine, which Obi-wan accepted, though he seemed amused. Jango sat at a chair pulled away from the table; Obi-wan took the couch.

They talked quietly for a bit, about the boys and the mission, recounting their impressions of the boys. Obi-wan didn’t want to know the details of Jango and his team carving through the facility, and Jango wasn’t going to force them on him. Instead, Obi-wan recounted what he had talked with the boys about before Jango had reached them.

“Obviously you wouldn’t say in front of the boys,” Obi-wan was saying. “But I was wondering. Did you destroy the facility after we took off?”

“Course I did,” Jango growled. “Sent the accursed place to the bottom of their damned ocean, along with everyone left in it.”

Obi-wan looked down at his glass, swirling the wine in it slowly.

“Are… you ok?” Jango asked softly. They were nearing the point that he  _ really _ wanted to discuss tonight. The fact that Obi-wan, without any sort of restraints or commands, was sitting on his couch, drinking and talking with him, without fear, without his eyes darting around the room for potential escape routes. The fact that he was just  _ here _ .

"I'm fine," Obi-wan answered stiffly.

"Are you?" When we got no answer, he leaned forward. "Obi-wan, we should talk about this."

"Should we?" The man retorted. "Is that  _ really _ what you want to do? Surely just knowing long that you'll hear ' _ lek, 'alor _ ' from me in the future is enough?"

"Excuse me?" Jango was affronted. "Have I done something to give you the impression that I don't value your opinion?"

"Gosh, let me think," Obi-wan said mockingly, before taking a swig of his wine.

"Come on," Jango snapped. "I've always valued your perspective! I mean, hells, we're  _ here _ aren't we? All because I listened to you!"

"Congratulations,  _ Mand'alor _ . Your pet  _ jetii  _ did a trick." 

Jango felt completely thrown by the bitterness in Obi-wan's voice. The man had done an admirable job concealing it.

"Where is this coming from?" He demanded. "Haven't I treated you with respect? Trusted you?"

"As though your damnable Integration program has treated anyone in it with a shred of respect or trust," Obi-wan spat viciously. "As though  _ brainwashing _ pays its dues to a person's individuality."

"The entire point of the Integration program is to  _ preserve _ a person's individuality," Jango snapped back. "It exists in the way it does because it's  _ not _ brainwashing. We want you with us because we value who you are and what you can do, and we accomplish nothing by erasing that!"

"Yes, yes, I realize you were raised to think it was alright." Obi-wan said, waving a hand, and his tone was so patronizing Jango could feel some real anger boiling up in him.

"Ok, you know what? Let's drag that thought process out," Jango said through gritted teeth. "Let's say there wasn't an Integration program. That there never had been. What do you imagine would've happened when we caught you? I'll wait." It was, perhaps, a tad more vicious than necessary. But Obi-wan had started it.

There was only really one logical conclusion to reach. If they'd encountered Obi-wan in the same manner, they'd either have tried to ransom him back to the Republic - unlikely, because he was a capable enemy and the Republic didn't have anything they wanted - tried to throw him in prison forever, which would have been a poor decision on multiple fronts,

Or they would've killed him.

"The aggressor does not get to claim moral superiority because they didn't kill as many people as they could have!" Obi-wan snapped. "You started that fight, not me!"

"And I chose how to end the fight too." Jango stood up, setting his glass down on an end table and starting to pace. "Do you think I should regret my actions? Do you think anything, _anything_ that's happened since then has made me doubt bringing you in was the right decision? Think about what you've done!" He said, rounding on Obi-wan, determined to make the man understand.

“You stopped that coup because you knew it was going too far. It wasn’t about being Mandalorian, it wasn't about  _ me _ , it was because you knew what the consequences would be if a whole third of the galaxy fell into bloody chaos! When you saved Kurri from her vision, and when you started to teach her and the other kids how to control their powers, you did it to protect them, not turn them into better soldiers. And you led us to Kamino because you were so sure something was wrong that you didn’t care who fixed it! Don’t you see? Being Mandalorian has never forced you to go against your conscience. You’ve never had to do something you thought was wrong, and you’ve always been free to do what you thought was right! Your only problem is that you think being Mandalorian in and of itself is wrong!”

“So you think you just have to  _ change that _ , right? Change my mind for me?” Obi-wan demanded.

“Integration is about removing the national barrier, it’s-”

“It’s about forcing me to come to the conclusion that acting in the interest of Mandalore is better than acting in the interest of anything or anyone else I value! It’s about  _ changing _ what I value! Making a prisoner do forced labor is wrong, but at least no one is pretending the situation is somehow different than what it is! Attacking someone’s mind in any regard is  _ wrong _ . It’s the kind of thing the galaxy reviles the Sith for!”

Jango bit down on an angry reply, before trying a different tact.

“Is that the comparison you really want to make? Because I seem to recall you came from an Order that took you away from your parents before you were old enough to know them, put you in a special facility and told you they were gonna make you something different, and surrounded you with a bunch of people who all told you you were gonna be a Jedi, who wanted you to be a Jedi, and taught you all about it until you believed you were!”

“So because everyone does something bad, none of it matters?” Obi-wan challenged, rising from his seat as well. “Besides, do you think shackling me every day is somehow better? I was always allowed to leave the Order if I wanted.”

“Could you?” Jango retorted, locking eyes with Obi-wan. “Could you  _ really _ ? Maybe,  _ maybe _ they’d have let you walk out the door, but where were you going to go? How? Who was going to help you? Your entire life was dominated and governed by them and their culture. That’s not better. You had the same kind of choices your parents did when the Jedi came for you. Ones that only existed in theory!”

“You don’t know what my parents thought!”

“ _ Neither do you!! _ ”

The soundproofing for the bedroom must’ve been pretty good, considering neither of them heard anything from Boba in the silence that followed.

“Is that why you hate the Jedi?” Obi-wan asked quietly, breaking the silence.

“It’s one of the reasons,” Jango answered stiffly. “Imagine Boba being taken away, now. He can use the Force. And he would just… be gone. Out of your life forever. You’d never know if he lived or died, how he had grown, or if he had friends. And he’d grow up never even knowing our names.”

Obi-wan looked away, and Jango knew he had won.

“But do you really think Integration is  _ better _ ?” Obi-wan asked despondently.

“I think it’s necessary.” Jango answered. “I think killing you would’ve been a terrible waste. Nothing you did for the Republic is erased because you’re with us now. Would you have preferred to have died in battle?” When he got no reply, he pressed on. “A glorious death isn’t a new concept to us. But that wasn’t what you were facing. Your whole life since has been the same choice. You could help Kurri and other kids deal with their powers, or you could be dead. You could stop the coup and save who knows how many lives, or you could be dead. You can help me raise and look after these kids… or be dead.” Jango shook his head. “I don’t want you to be dead, Obi-wan. I very much prefer you alive.”

Obi-wan sighed and sat back down, running a hand through his hair. After a second's hesitation, Jango returned to his chair as well.

“I am amazed he slept through that,” Obi-wan murmured, glancing over his shoulder toward the bedroom. Jango just hummed in agreement. The argument may be finished, but he had no idea what to say now, no idea how to go about breaking the silence. Obi-wan, however, seemed to have just decided to move on, downing the little bit of wine in his glass before turning to Jango expectantly.

“So, where’s my cot?” He asked, business-like.

“Ah,” Was all Jango said in response.

He had made a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is why Obi-wan’s distinction from his regularly-Integrated self matters. Jango is still trying to ‘win’ him, both as a Mandalorian and as a personal partner, but Obi-wan sees himself becoming a Mandalorian separately from Integration, and still has to address his deep-seated issues with the system. Luckily, Jango was the captain of his school debate team. (Kidding.)  
> Mando'a:  
> Buycika: Crib/Cradle


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another interesting side effect of Obi-wan accepting the Mandalorians early? Jango can no longer hide his manipulative courting of Obi-wan within his regular Integration. He can hardly treat a societal equal the same way, especially with the kids watching now. This also means that his manipulations with respect to that up until this point are about to be exposed.

“What?” Obi-wan asked, frowning. “Are there no more spares? Do I need to sleep on the couch?”

He should say yes. He should say yes, pretend he was embarrassed at having to ask that of the man, and just make sure nobody contradicted him.

“Ah, well, if you want to,” He said. 

_ He _ should offer to sleep on the couch! And let Obi-wan have the bed!

Obi-wan frowned. “Were you… going to suggest sharing the bed?”

Could Obi-wan sense if he was lying?

“Well…” Apparently, the smooth-talking, always-in-control Jango Fett had been brutally murdered by a single glass of wine and a philosophical debate.

Obi-wan’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have some sort of medical condition I don’t know about?”

“What? No.”

“So you don’t  _ need _ to share body heat?”

“...No,” Jango admitted.

“Then why were you going to ask me to share the bed with you?” There was an ominous note in Obi-wan’s voice as he asked the question.

“Well, I happen to  _ like _ sharing a bed with someone,” Jango said, before he sighed, resigning himself to telling the truth. “And look, Obi-wan, I… like you.” Obi-wan’s eyebrows shot up. He seemed shocked. Apparently before tonight, Jango had been a master of subtlety. “I didn’t know when or how to tell you, but I do. I’ve been… testing the waters, so to speak, to see how we might… do… together. I have been since you turned on the coup.”

It took a second. And then Obi-wan’s expression turned absolutely thunderous.

“And  _ that’s _ why you locked me in your room!?” He demanded, eyes flashing with anger.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been honest.

“ _ That’s _ why you made me warm your blasted bed? Why you-you dragged random strangers in to have sex in front of me!?”

Something went wrong on every mission. At least Obi-wan’s wrath wouldn’t get anybody killed.

“Obi-wan, if you’ll just listen-”

“No,” the redhead snarled. “I don’t think I will.” And he stormed past Jango and out of the cabin. From the other room, Jango could hear Boba start to cry.

-

The next morning, Jango reflected that it was a good thing that Obi-wan wasn’t particularly petty or vindictive. 

The boys, gathered around a couple of pushed together tables in the lounge for breakfast, definitely noticed the tension between them, but Obi-wan didn’t acknowledge it, or try to make Jango look bad.

He was spared any lingering, awkward silences however. The boys were becoming chattier, even Nines, and they were talking as much as boys their age were wont to do. There were no high chairs on the cruiser, so Boba sat in Jango’s lap, eating off his plate, and generally keeping him occupied so he didn't have to focus on Obi-wan.

To his credit, the redhead was acting perfectly normally with the boys, answering their questions and teasing them as was becoming usual. Most of the boys seemed to have an intense desire to explore the ship. Nines didn’t seem to share the others enthusiasm, and Jango supposed that could be marked down to a different education. He guessed that his  _ Verde’ika _ would be eager to explore every new environment they came across.

“Ba!”

“No, come on now,” Jango said, holding Boba up to eye level. “It’s  _ buir _ . I bet you can do it!”

“Bu!”

“That’s closer!” Jango encouraged him.

“He’s only been around people for 4 days,” Ponds pointed out. “Isn’t it a little early to expect him to start talking?”

“Your  _ vode _ doesn’t think you can do it, but I do!” Jango said.

“Bu!” Boba repeated, his little face screwed up in concentration. “Bui!” That earned some snickers from the other end of the table. Jango shot Obi-wan a mock-angry glare over Boba’s head. The man returned it in amusement, before his expression frosted over again.

“You're getting there,” he said, returning his attention to Boba. “You’ll be fluent in Mando’a before any of these comedians.”

Boba wriggled happily in his arms.

“Bubu!”

“But that doesn’t mean you should call me that.”

-

“So, here’s the plan for the day,” Jango said, after breakfast had been cleared away. “Either Obi-wan or I will take one or two of you to the medbay for your inspection while the rest tour the ship. Then we’ll meet back up and switch out. So first, Obi-wan is going to take Nines back down for a follow-up, then they’ll come find us, and he’ll take over while I take Cody and Rex. And we’ll continue on like that. Got it?” The boys nodded. “Good. Now, the soldiers and technicians and everyone can stand to answer a few questions, but  _ don’t _ get in the way of any actual work, and do what you’re told. If someone says to get clear, you get clear. Understand?”

They chorused their understanding and he smiled as he picked up Boba. “Good. Let’s get going then.”

The boys made their way to the door while Obi-wan went over to Nines. He stiffened as Jango came near.

“There’s someone down there who’s ready to take out the chip,” Jango said quietly to him. “It won’t take long.”

“Thank you,” Obi-wan said cooly, before walking past him, taking Nines’ hand, and leaving the room. Jango watched him go with a pang, before turning back to the group of boys waiting by the other door.

“What did you do?” Fox asked, blinking up at him with wide, guileless eyes.

Jango scowled at him. “None of your business.”

-

The day quickly settled into a pattern from there. They would enter a section of the ship, the boys would exclaim with wonder at the technology, amusing the people working there, then slightly unnerve them with their knowledge of how the different systems worked; they weren't engineers, but they know more than most who didn't work on starship as a profession, not even considering their age.

Watching the boys get their checkup was interesting, and he made a mental note to ask Obi-wan how the others had done; the redhead might still be mad at him, but he'd talk about the kids if Jango asked. They were getting a regular health screening as well as getting samples of their skin and blood taken to test how best to go about slowing down their biological clocks. Both Cody and Rex listened to the doctor, but it became patently obvious that Rex was far more uncomfortable than Cody was, so much so that Jango felt compelled to reach out and take the blonde boy's hand while the doctor gave him a shot. The boy didn't say anything at the time, but he grabbed the offered hand and held it tightly during the rest of the checkup. Jango reasoned that Rex had likely received far more medical scrutiny on Kamino than his brothers, but he couldn't help but wonder, as Rex kept hold of his hand and leaned into him a little as they left, if something worse had happened.

He brought Fox and Boba down after Obi-wan returned with Wolffe and Ponds. Jango wouldn't have believed it possible to charm the stern Weequay doctor if he hadn't witnessed Fox do so right in front of him, a blend of obedience to the doctor's instructions and his bright, boyish personality putting a smile on her face. It was likely the ship's doctor had rarely, if ever, worked with kids before. Boba, however, was a different story.

The boy fussed and cried worse than Jango had yet seen, wailing and trying to crawl away from the doctor. Jango ended up sitting on the table himself, Boba in his lap, with his arms wrapped around the boy. At his suggestion, everything the doctor did, she did to Jango first, so that Boba could see no harm came from any of it. (It would also give him an excuse to get out of his next checkup.) It still took almost an hour.

When they finally joined back up with the others, most of the boys surrounded him, clamoring that they wanted to go back to see the parts of the ship they each had missed, and Jango couldn't help but oblige them. Nines, however, seemed to be getting rather tired, and Obi-wan took him and Boba back to the officers lounge while Jango took charge of the rest of the boys and started to backtrack through their circuit of the ship.

They stopped at the regular crew lounge for a late lunch, Jango peeking his head in ahead of the boys and promising severe repercussions if he heard his children repeat any unsavory words after they left. Most of the crew laughed, but a couple took the threat to heart. The boys were suddenly shy in the presence of so many people. Rex and Ponds tried to hide themselves behind Jango again, Rex holding onto the back of his shirt. As he had the day before, Cody looked around at everyone in the room, wide-eyed and interested. After ushering them to a table in the corner, Jango spent an awkward lunchtime doing his best to explain the different species.

"Mind you, Cody, Mandalorians don't put that much stock in our species," Jango reminded him. "It's important to some, sure, but that doesn't mean you should focus on it too much."

"Ok," Cody said, clearly not listening very closely. "But I've just never seen so many different kinds of people!"

Jango caught sight of a couple of crew members chuckling at a nearby table, and gave them an apologetic shrug, which they waved off.

"Nines is lucky," Ponds murmured, picking at his food while he slouched in his chair. "They're all alone up there. He gets a quiet, peaceful lunch."

"Well, Boba's there too," Fox reminded him. "I doubt 'peaceful' is the right word!" Wolffe laughed.

Rex, pressed up against Jango's side and mostly out of sight of the rest of the room, seemed far more comfortable now, and ate regularly.

Jango nudged him with his elbow, and Rex looked up.

"Hey," Jango said quietly. "You ok?"

Rex's eyes flicked back to his plate.

"Yeah…" he murmured, and Jango nudged him again. The boy sighed. "It's just… they're all gonna look at me more, y'know?"

Jango raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't know. Why do you say that?"

"Well, because I'm the only that's de… different." Jango was sure the boy had been about to say  _ 'defective' _ . He wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"You only think that because  _ you're _ so focused on it. Sure, people might notice, but it doesn't mean anything. They're only gonna think twice about if you're the one making it a big deal."

Rex didn't answer, just returned to his food, and Jango let him be. Those kinds of fears didn't evaporate overnight. He slung an arm around him again as they made their way out.

Their next and final stop was the bridge, which Cody and Rex had missed when they were getting their check-up. A somewhat disgruntled looking Akkus greeted them, gave Jango a sloppy salute, then made a show of apologizing for it, claiming that if zir had just gotten more sleep the night before, they might be more coordinated. Jango introduced his old friend to the boys properly and told them they had free reign to bully zem as they pleased. From the gleam in Wolffe and Fox's eyes, he wondered if he hadn't made a mistake.

When they returned to the officers lounge, they found Obi-wan, Boba, and Nines in the corner, peering over a couple of datapads. Obi-wan had obviously found a game for Boba to play on one, and the boy seemed entirely focused on the bright, colorful shapes dancing across the screen. Obi-wan absently kept an arm around him, while leaning over the other datapad with Nines, pointing at something on it and talking quietly.

"What's that?" Fox asked, bounding over to see what Boba was playing.

"Mu!" Boba swatted at Fox's hand and returned to his game.

"Wow," Jango muttered.

"It's just a game," Obi-wan said, smiling at the slightly indignant Fox.

"Doesn't look like much," Wolffe commented, examining the game over Obi-wan's shoulder.

"Well it isn't," Jango said. "Boba's too young for most games. This one is just teaching him shapes in a way he finds fun."

"So what are 'most games' like, then?" Wolffe asked.

Jango shrugged. "Anything and everything. I'm not really the person to ask. I'm sure someone back home can show you some." He reached and tousled Boba's hair. The boy looked at him, smiling.

"Bu!"

"Didja miss me, kiddo?" He asked, and Boba held out his arms. Jango obliged him, lifting off the chair. "There's my boy. And I'm your…?"

"Bu! Bui!" 

"Almost got it," Jango sighed. "And what have you two been up to?" He asked Obi-wan and Nines. Nines blushed and began to stammer out an explanation, before Obi-wan cut in smoothly.

"Just going over some basic educational modules. Getting a sense of where we'll be starting." Right, Nines hadn't been educated by the Kaminoans at all.

"You'll need to be doing the same," Jango said to the boys, tilting his head so Boba couldn't reach the ear he was trying to tug on.

"What will we be doing?" Cody asked.

"Well, we'll be assessing where you're at by our standards," Jango explained. "You're almost certainly ahead in math and Basic, but you'll have to start at the beginning with Mando'a and history."

"Bu!" Boba interrupted, still attempting to grab some part of Jango's face. Jango kept talking.

"It'll be a little tricky to figure out where to start you all. We-"

" _ Buir! _ " Boba whined impatiently. Jango turned to him a broad grin spreading across his face.

"That's right!" He praised, lifting Boba up to eye level. "That's how you say it!  _ Buir _ !"

" _ Buir! _ " Boba repeated, smiling in response to Jango's praise. " _ Buir! _ "

"That's it, that's my boy!" Jango cheered, lifting the boy up, above his head. He wasn't actually tossing him into the air, but he was imitating the motion as the boy squealed with delight.

And then, apparently, the excitement was too much, as Boba spit up a fair portion of his lunch directly onto Jango's face.

" _ Buir! _ " The boy chirped happily, as the rest of the room erupted into laughter.

-

_ It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed of battle. But this was something different. _

_ At first, it was like a collage of different battlefields. A capital city about to come under their control, the ship-to-ship battle he'd been forced to call a retreat from as his men died. A small freighter with a lone occupant, in  _ jetii _ robes holding a  _ jetii _ saber. _

_ But then, suddenly, he wasn't alone. There were children, far too young, celebrating savage victories they should never have witnessed, shedding tears at the sight of so much loss, crying out for help as they lay, injured and alone, on smoking battlefields… _

Jango sat bolt upright, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. Boba was wailing from his makeshift  _ buycika _ nearby. He wiped a shaky hand across his forehead and threw back the covers, making his way over to the boy.

"Hush, Boba, don't cry," he murmured, holding the boy in his arms and rocking him back and forth. If anything, the baby cried louder. "It's ok, I promise.  _ Buir's  _ here, you're safe."

It seemed hopeless, and Jango had just resigned himself to staying up until the baby cried himself to sleep when his door opened behind him. He spun around to see Obi-wan, tired looking and with a robe thrown over his shoulders, walking over to him.

"Give him here," he said, voice barely audible over Boba's crying. Jango complied mutely, and watched in fascination as Obi-wan calmed the crying infant. He didn't seem to be doing anything different than Jango had done, and he could only assume Obi-wan was also soothing him through the Force.

Obi-wan kept rocking the baby back and forth for a few seconds after he had fallen back asleep.

"You know," he said quietly, breaking the silence. "There's a lot that children can do with the Force that adults can't. Their connection to it is more… pure. As we learn and grow we conceive more of the difficulty of the tasks we have to accomplish, and we build barriers in our mind." Obi-wan stared down at the sleeping boy in his arms. "Boba was kept alone for so long… he must've learned, subconsciously, to reach out through the Force, looking for other life signs. You know he sensed you arriving on Kamino? Same time I did. It's why he was so ready to accept us… but it's only going to make things difficult from here on out." Obi-wan looked up at him. "What was your nightmare about?"

The question was like a punch in the gut. Jango hadn't considered that Boba could pick up on such things.

"It was an old dream, at first," Jango explained as he sat down on the bed. After a moment, Obi-wan sat beside him, Boba still sleeping peacefully in his arms. "Flashes of old battles, good and bad. People I've lost. But then…" he sighed. "All the kids were there. You were too, at one point. And I just…”

"They're a new worry for you," Obi-wan said. "It's natural. Knowing you'll have children  _ someday _ is very different then the reality you now have to contend with." He passed Boba over to Jango. Jango held the boy for a few seconds, smoothing a lock of hair on the boys head before getting up and placing him back in the  _ buycika _ .

"I can teach you some mental shielding," Obi-wan offered. "You won't be able to manage it in the same way as a Force user, but it will help shield Boba while he's still too young to do so himself."

Jango nodded as he sat back down, feeling exhausted. "Is he very strong with the Force?"

"It's hard to properly quantify," Obi-wan explained. "At least with words. But on the whole, no. Not as much as me, at least. But up until now the Force was how he interacted with the world. It was his only connection to life, his only stimulation. It was how he reached out to others. You can think of him as an empath, I guess. He's not doing it on purpose."

"So it's more that most or all of the power he has is geared toward sensing other people and their feelings as opposed to him just having a lot of power?"

"Yes."

Jango signaled his understanding before running a hand down his face. They sat in companionable silence for a moment.

"I suppose you sensed Boba?" He asked finally.

"Yes," Obi-wan replied.

"Thanks for helping."

"Pay it no mind."

Jango squeezed his eyes closed briefly, before opening them and turning to Obi-wan.

"Can we talk?"

"There's not much to talk about," Obi-wan said cooly. "I'm really only interested in an apology."

"Well I'm not interested in apologizing - no, listen, please. Hear me out." He reached over and grabbed Obi-wan's arm as he made to leave.

Obi-wan glared daggers as him. “What, are you gonna tell me that I already love you and I just don’t realize it yet?” He spat.

Jango gritted his teeth but forged on. “I want to  _ explain _ myself, Obi-wan. I don’t deny what happened but I think you came to the wrong conclusion about - about what kind of man I am.”

Jango had never really considered Obi-wan as  _ looking _ intimidating, for all he knew about the man’s skill, but the look the redhead was giving him sent chills down his spine.

“I think I have a pretty good grasp of the kind of  _ man you are _ ,” Obi-wan retorted.

“Then what does it matter to listen to me talk for a bit?” Jango pleaded. The logic did the job, he saw, as Obi-wan wrenched his arm from Jango’s grip. 

“Fine,” The man said. “Talk.”

“To be clear,” Jango said as Obi-wan sat back down. “I didn’t bring you to my quarters just to seduce you. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to yet. I found you attractive from the beginning but I’m not such a… base creature as to do anything from such a one-dimensional motivation. I kept an eye on you because you were a powerful  _ jetii _ and a brilliant strategist. Knowing your capabilities  _ without _ knowing your character would make anyone want to keep a close eye on you.” Obi-wan jerked his head in acknowledgement of the point, and Jango kept going.

“And then there was the banquet with Kurri, and we had a chance to do some real good and - I saw you  _ doing _ that good. Not only did it make me like you better as a person, but the way you handled working with the kids was… charming, I guess. And I wasn't shocked or hurt that you were involved with the coup. It was a natural choice for you to make at the time, and you saw their downward slide from far enough away that they never had the chance to hurt anyone. You were willing to accept consequences, but honestly? To me, it didn’t feel like you had done  _ anything _ wrong.” Obi-wan looked surprised at that, and Jango smiled at him. “That was when I realized I liked you, too. Good looks, compassionate, kind to children, and pretty damn smart. I realized that I… could see a future with you. That you were someone who I could have at my side personally and who could handle the responsibilities that came with that position.”

Obi-wan looked almost touched at that, before his expression settled back into a glare as he remembered what came next.

“I didn’t  _ know _ if we would work like that,” Jango continued hurriedly. “But it was enough for me to want to know more. When we got around to talking about how to continue your Integration, we agreed that keeping you around full-fledged Mandos would be better. You made the right choices in the end, but you’d been around too much dissent, too much… discord. And at that point, it only seemed logical for me to volunteer. It was more for your Integration than anything, but it also let us spend time together, to see how we worked. And we work well, whether you want to admit it or not.” The last part was said quite teasingly, and Obi-wan rolled his eyes.

“Because I can do math and give massages?” He asked airily.

“Among other things, yes,” Jango answered, laughing. “Perks I was not expecting.”

“Perks,” Obi-wan muttered derisively, but his attitude had thawed quite a bit. “So what about what came next, then? Got an explanation for that?”

Jango sighed. “Honestly? I was getting impatient and trying to deal with it. You just didn’t seem to notice anything I was doing to - y’know,  _ get your attention _ . You seemed to assume it always meant something else. And I was watching you walk to and from the fresher every day without being able to act on my feelings in the slightest.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, yeah, I was curious if you’d be jealous, but - c’mon. I  _ was _ actually having sex. That wasn’t  _ fake _ . And maybe asking you to warm my bed was going a bit far. Truth be told, I was hoping you’d fall asleep. Then I could crawl in after you and spend the night that way.”

“So you’re an enthusiastic cuddler?”

Jango gave him a level stare. “A bit.”

The confession clearly caught Obi-wan off-guard.

“I wanted to know if you’d like it or not. It was the only way I could think of to go about it. Also I kinda liked seeing you in my bed.” The last part was added in rushed murmur, but Obi-wan didn’t miss it, shaking his head.

“Why go about it this way? Why not just make your intentions known?” The redhead asked.

Jango gave him a pained look, before saying, in a ridiculous sing-song voice: “‘Hey Obi-wan, you turned in a coup and expected to die for it but instead, we’re going to get  _ married! _ ’”

Obi-wan actually leaned away from him.

“ _ See _ ?” Jango said, fighting laughter as he pointed at him. “There was no point before all of this where I could’ve told you that wouldn’t see you freak out! I assumed you’d figure it out on your own eventually, and in the meantime, I’d get us used to acting like a couple, so that once we  _ were _ together, it’d be a smooth adjustment.”

Obi-wan sighed. “I suppose I can grant that telling me wouldn't have done you any favors. But this mess isn’t much better. I don’t appreciate being manipulated, Jango.”

“Yeah,” Jango said, sighing in relief. “I get that.” He reached over and covered one of Obi-wan’s hands with his own. “So… no more of that, then. But I still like you - more than ever, after all of this.” His eyes met Obi-wan’s. “Let me try again?”

Obi-wan slipped his hand out from under Jango’s and stood up, crossing the room. He paused by the door and looked back.

“Don’t screw it up this time. You won’t get a third chance.” And then he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Jango being totally honest here? No. He’s downplaying the role his interest in Obi-wan affected the man's circumstances and is trying to make himself seem more contrite than he really is. (Although he did make a point of not apologizing). He is, however, being mostly honest. The balance of power between him and Obi-wan is fundamentally different here, and Jango has to take a different approach to win him over, which begins with damage control.  
> Mando'a:  
> Verde’ika: little soldiers  
> Buycika: Crib/Cradle  
> Buir: Parent


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I'm far too much of a coward to write any actual smut. The best you're getting from me is *implied* sexual content. Also, this is the last proper chapter, and it came out much longer than any of the previous ones. Enjoy!

After the eventful trip home, life with the boys on Manda'yaim seemed to be hurtling forward at a breakneck pace, and days began to blur together, and before he knew it, almost 2 months had passed.

Jango's temporary room wasn't quite as nice as his old one, but it was the nicest one in the wing of the facility he and his family were now occupying, and there was an adjoining room for Boba. He was at the end of a long hallway, all the other rooms occupied by his children. Obi-wan was staying in his own quarters not far away, and Jango had just had to grit his teeth and remind himself that he'd get Obi-wan back in his room soon enough.

Unfortunately, Akkus' words back on Kamino were proving prophetic, and he found no time to spend wooing his intended. Obi-wan had the rest of his Integration coursework to complete, even if it wasn't as important now, and he had his class to teach, which was only expanding as more Force Sensitive youths were invited to learn. Jango had his duties as Mand'alor along with a baby to raise, something he was determined to see to himself. The rest of both adult's time was spent on the boys.

It wasn't that things weren't going well though. Jango was making his affections known, and he wasn't getting rejected either. Jango had the sense - and he thought that Obi-wan did too - that them being together was inevitable. But he just didn't have time to talk about it. The only real alone time he had with Obi-wan was at night, when they were meditating and working on Jango's 'shields' so that he wouldn't disturb Boba in his sleep. It was pleasant, in it's own way, but given that it required no talking, he couldn't really make use of it to make any progress in their relationship.

The boys had taken to their new life eagerly. Their educational assessment showed them to be ahead in reading and writing Basic, and well ahead in math, but naturally, they were starting at the very beginning with Mando'a, and their knowledge of Mandalorian history was restricted to a few notable battles. They were being put through a crash course in their weaker subjects now, in hopes of being ready to enroll in a proper school the next year.

Nines was, of course, behind his brothers, having never been taught to read or write, but he was doing his best to learn from his tutors and, as often as possible, from Obi-wan. He seemed to be enjoying himself, in particular when it came to reading. Their predictions about treatment for his spine had mostly come true; it couldn't be fixed completely, but they were starting therapeutic treatments now, so that later in life it would give him minimal trouble.

With the Kaminoans medical records, the gene therapy was proceeding smoothly, and more importantly, it was fast-acting. The doctors said the boys would still grow a little fast for their age over the next couple months, but it would barely be noticeable. It would take just a little bit longer with Nines, as they said the further the Kaminoans genetic adjustments had progressed, the more work had to be done to slow it back down, but that he would certainly have a normally functioning biological clock before he hit puberty.

(Which was a line of thought Jango did not need to follow right now.)

Once Boba had started talking, he hadn't stopped, picking up language with incredible speed. His smattering of Mando'a and Basic was enough to give anyone who wasn't fluent in both a headache, but Jango could understand the boy well enough, and he found it highly amusing in the rare moments when Obi-wan clearly hadn't understood the boy, and did his best to pretend he had. It was now commonplace to hear Boba chattering on about his day to anyone he even thought was listening, and he often stopped and asked for the names of things he'd seen or what words he needed to describe random objects or animals. The guessing games that ensued had sometimes lasted up to a half hour.

While all the boys had found their own interests since arriving, the one place they all equally loved was the courtyard. The wide open space, fresh air, and greenery was enchanting to them, and the residents of the facility quickly became used to seeing the group of boys chasing each other around, lying in the grass, or up in one of the trees. Kas and Kurri had been scandalized to learn that the boys didn’t even know how to play a game as simple as tag, and then became terrified at the sight of the slightly larger boys bearing down on them, as they were, naturally, much faster than other children their age. A quick talk with Jango and Obi-wan had convinced them to take it easy when playing with other kids. The building of their future house had actually been delayed so that they could add a large yard for the boys.

Wolffe, true to Jango's suggestion, had asked around about video games he could play, the noises of which could now often be heard coming from his room, along with the voices of whichever of his brothers had taken him up on his offer to play together that day. While the games they played were still fairly simple, a hierarchy was beginning to emerge. Wolffe sat comfortably at the top. Next were Rex and Fox, who were the only other two that really took playing seriously. Then there was Ponds, who always took a little cajoling from his brothers to really get invested, and Cody and Nines never seemed terribly interested in the games, only playing when their brothers asked them. In the far bottom of the skill tier, though, was Jango and Obi-wan.

"Well," Obi-wan said, disconnecting his controller as his name flashed at the bottom of the scoreboard. "I think that's enough losing for me. I'll go get started on dinner."

"You know, you'd be better if you played more," Fox said earnestly, speaking from his unnecessary perch on the back of the couch.

"You'll find you have precious little time to spend learning to play games when you get older," Obi-wan warned him, and Fox just shrugged.

Cody and Nines disconnected their controllers as well, following Obi-wan into the kitchen to offer help. Boba, seated on the floor, was absorbed by his own game, an educational program teaching him basic language.

"Ready to lose again,  _ buir _ ?" Wolffe asked, smirking at him.

Jango arched an eyebrow. "You know, you wouldn't win if everyone ganged up on you."

The boys took inspiration from his suggestion to gang up on him, instead.

"Do you want any help in there?" Jango called to the kitchen as his children laughed. Their "living room" was a slightly retrofitted common area, with a large open space that held a couple couches and chairs pointed at a large screen. Two tables were positioned end to end, and surrounded by chairs, that served at the family's dining table. The area where people on break would normally get refreshments was now cordoned off with a few extra appliances, the shelves now stocked with plates, bowls, and silverware. They could make almost anything you could in a normal kitchen, especially with a new freezer installed. Effao had reasoned they could always leave the freezer when they moved on, so it was worth the installation costs.

"No," Obi-wan called back. "I have enough help - maybe too much!"

As if on cue, they could hear a plate shattering on the floor.

"Sorry!" Came Cody's high-pitched voice. Jango rolled his eyes, disconnected his controller, and made his way back to the 'kitchen' while the boys started up another, far more competitive round.

No food had been lost, the  _ Tiingilar _ Obi-wan was making safe in its pot on the electric stove. Cody gave him a guilty look as Obi-wan appeared from around a corner with a broom in hand.

"It's fine," Jango assured him. "Accidents happen, and we have other plates. No one's hurt, right?" Cody shook his head vigorously as Obi-wan swept up the broken plate. "Why don't you go play with your brothers, Cod’ _ ika. _ " He ruffled the boy's hair, and Cody smiled and did as Jango suggested. "You too, Nines. I'll stay and help."

"Oh, ok," Nines said cheerily, putting the stack of plates he'd been holding on the countertop with almost exaggerated care before disappearing back into the main room.

"I say I have enough help without you so you send them all away, hmm?" Obi-wan asked as he upended the dustpan over the trash bin.

"Part of my nefarious plot," Jango replied, stepping behind Obi-wan and wrapping his arms around the man's waist.

"I can't cook like this," Obi-wan told him with good-natured impatience.

"Let me have a few more seconds?" Jango pleaded, burying his face in the crook of the man's neck.

"You're needier than the boys, you know."

"Well of course I am. We're giving them everything they can think to ask for, but  _ I _ can't get what I want even when it's right in front of me." He propped his chin on Obi-wan's shoulder so he could look the man in the face. "Because it's stubborn."

"Having standards aren't synonymous with stubbornness," Obi-wan chided him, freeing himself from Jango's grip and returning to the stove.

" _ Standards _ ," Jango snorted. "You don't have standards."

"Oh I don't, do I?" Obi-wan asked, though he still seemed amused.

"Well, you do in most areas of your life," Jango said. "But standards with regard to a partner are what you're specifically looking for in a mate. And there's no way someone who spent their whole life being banned from even  _ wanting _ a partner has a comprehensive list of traits they're looking for."

Obi-wan turned to face him, a smile playing around on his lips. "You know, people greatly exaggerate the Force's ability to read minds. I could've been fantasizing about men in front of the whole Jedi Council without them ever knowing."

Jango took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

"Oh yeah?" He asked in a low, seductive voice. "You ever do that,  _ Ner'kadau _ ?" He leaned a little closer as Obi-wan reddened at Jango calling his bluff. "What'd they look like?"

"I'm tired of losing, is dinner ready yet?" Fox asked loudly as he walked into the kitchen. He stopped dead as he saw the way they were standing. The moment of silence felt like it lasted for an hour.

“No, really, I’m hungry,” Fox said, and it was hard to tell if he was trying to be funny or if he was sincere.

“Not yet, Fox,” Obi-wan sighed.

“Ok.” And Fox turned on his heel and left.

Jango leaned away from and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I get someone to watch them for a night, can we go somewhere else for a  _ private _ dinner?”

Obi-wan turned back to the stove. “Only if you can find someone qualified.” He said in amusement.

And therein laid the heart of the problem. While he would hardly characterize any of his sons as ‘disobedient’, it was also true that the more time passed, the more they behaved like normal children. This was not even adding the fact that there were 7 of them, including a Force-Sensitive baby. The people he would personally trust the most to watch them would be Akkus and Effao, but both had their own duties and more to the point, their own families. And he wasn't comfortable just using some random babysitting service.

Still, his patience was nearing its limits with Obi-wan. The man was receptive to his affection - he even seemed to enjoy it, though he never initiated anything himself. And their life was already so domestic, focused around their work and the kids, Obi-wan still helping and advising with anything Jango asked him about, that he knew all the redhead needed was one good push to get the man into bed with him, to finally be able to treat and spoil the man the way he'd been dying to do for what felt like years. But he just couldn't find the  _ time _ .

Where do you go to look for someone who could watch  _ 7 kids _ ?

-

Let alone  _ 8 kids. _

Jango stared at Akkus, dumbfounded. Zir had said they had something private to talk about, so he had invited zem into his room.

"I wish we could have told you sooner," Akkus said, sounding genuinely contrite. "But we wanted to be sure. And it was…  _ very _ unsure."

"But… I mean…" Jango tried to speak. " _ Another one? _ " Oh, but his  _ buir _ would laugh himself silly when he heard. 

"Yes. There was one that we could save from their 'next batch'," Akkus explained. "The child was still in incubation when we arrived. Without access to their facilities, we couldn't be sure we'd be able to keep them alive. We didn't want to tell you until we knew, one way or the other."

Jango rubbed at his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. 

"I mean, I'm glad they survived, but… what the kriff am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, 'alor, it's your call, but considering that you-"

"I know what I'm going to do, blast it!" Jango snapped. "But I'm well on my way to having more kids than there are hours in the day! There aren't any  _ more _ you're hiding from me, are you?" He was being rude, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Akkus seemed affronted, but declined to call Jango out on his behavior.

"Trying to replicate the cloners incubation technology was difficult and imperfect. We've kept the child asleep this whole time. They think it'll be safe to wake him up in a few days."

Jango groaned and sat down. "What am I gonna do?" He asked miserably, not expecting nor receiving an answer. "Is this why you wanted to hold out on an official announcement?" He asked, massaging his temples.

"Not that it was wrong to let the children settle in first, but yes. We have a presser prepared now."

"Let me talk to Obi-wan first," Jango mumbled, feeling exhausted. "Put it out tomorrow."

"As you wish." After a pause, zir added, "You should be able to move into your new home in a day or two as well. They're almost done."

Jango looked up at him in surprise. "That was fast."

"Pre-fabs speed up the process," Akkus said, shrugging. "Like we discussed, it'll be a long ring with a garden in the middle. They're transplanting some trees now, and there will be a screen over the top and interior heating for the cold season. The boy's rooms are all the same dimensions with the same furnishings, but I'm sure they'll make them their own in time. There is one for the new child, and another for Obi-wan." Zir paused. "The assumption is that by the time little Boba can have his own room, Kenobi will be sharing yours."

"I appreciate your faith in me but I have no kriffing time for him," Jango muttered. "We're so…  _ close _ to it. He enjoys my affections and we're already raising the kids together but I just can't… finish it. We just need some proper alone time, but how the kriff am I supposed to find us any?"

Akkus cleared zir throat. "When you say, 'alone time'-"

"I mean both!" Jango snapped irritably. "I know I  _ could _ just pull him out of his classes and leave the kids with their tutors, but it doesn't feel right, and I want it to. Once he got past his anger at me it's been great! We're a good match and I think he knows that, we just need to talk about it properly." He groaned. "And now there's gonna be  _ another _ child, and I assume younger too?"

"Biologically they're around 3 or 4," Akkus confirmed, tone and expression sympathetic. "They had some implanted knowledge during their incubation. They'll be able to speak some Basic very quickly. We contacted a psychiatrist who specializes in children's health, and they warned that the lack of memories and experiences could negatively impact the child's development. The other children had more extensive implanted knowledge and a curriculum designed to these needs. Lacking that, they recommended ensuring this one socializes as much as possible, alongside more regular care."

"Well, I'm sure the boys will be more than willing to stay with him as much as he needs," Jango said, feeling very tired. "And we will too, of course. If we can get them all enrolled in a proper school they can make other friends as well. Kriff, there's so much to do."

Akkus seemed sympathetic. "I wish there was something I could do,  _ Alor'ika _ , but…" Ze trailed off. 

Jango looked up at zem, frowning. "What?"

"Nothing," Akkus said, a little too quickly. "Just a stray thought. I'll send a copy of the press release to you later tonight."

"Alright…" Jango said slowly, eyeing Akkus carefully. "Then I'll call Obi-wan, I suppose."

"As you will, ' _ alor _ ." Akkus seemed distracted as ze saluted and left. Jango watched zem go, with the nagging suspicion that he would find out what the stray thought that had crossed his friend's mind was soon enough.

Still, he had other priorities, so he grabbed his Holo and called Obi-wan. It took a few seconds for the call to collect, and for Obi-wan to appear. Jango had called him in the middle of one of his classes.

_ "Can I help you, 'alor?"  _ Obi-wan sounded polite, but Jango didn't miss the subtle annoyance at being interrupted in his teaching.

"Something's come up, and we'll need to talk about it person," Jango said. "I'll be kidnapping you in an hour."

_ "What, again?" _

"I have unconventional hobbies,  _ ner kadau _ . Apologize to the  _ adiik _ for me for cutting class short. I'll pick you up two up from there."

The Holo flickered and Jango winced slightly at the loud, garbled audio that came through before it settled back into Obi-wan's visage, now looking quite amused.

_ "Boba says hi." _

"And I say hi back," Jango told him, laughing. "I'll see you in a bit."

-

Boba had started sitting in with Obi-wan during his Force lessons with the youngest children last week. Jango and Obi-wan had been trying to figure out a proper schedule that would allow one of them to always be with the boy, and it had been Obi-wan's suggestion.

Jango had sat with Boba the first day, while Obi-wan conducted his class as normal. It was the only time Jango had actually watched the whole session, and given that Boba had been acting painfully shy, (and had been quiet as a result) he had actually been able to focus on it.

As Obi-wan had explained, while Boba was still too young and inexperienced to really understand his or others connection to the Force, the unnaturally keen Force sense he had developed during his isolation on Kamino meant that he would certainly be able to tell the others in the class were Force Sensitive without it being explained to him.

Boba was normally quite lively and friendly when meeting new people, but it seemed the group of Force Sensitive children was overwhelming. Still, it had only been for the first day. The second, Jango had felt comfortable leaving after only a few minutes, as Boba had begun to show an active interest in the proceedings. The image of Boba sitting in Obi-wan's lap while the man led class had kept a smile on Jango's face for the rest of that afternoon.

Boba only sat in with the youngest group, as he was apt to try and 'help' during activities, and the older classes were often trying more intense exercises. Obi-wan had admitted that he really had no idea if Boba was learning anything from the proceedings, outside of exploring what he could do with his powers, but that it was a good environment for him regardless.

So when Jango arrived and peaked into the now empty classroom, he saw Obi-wan pulling a feather out of Boba's hands that the boy had evidently been intent on putting in his mouth.

"No eating this close to dinner, Boba," Jango said, mock-stern, as he entered the room. Neither of the room's residents seemed surprised he was there, both turning to him and smiling.

" _ Lek, buir _ ," Boba said in a singsong voice that didn't inspire much confidence that he would do as he was told. The boy started to crawl towards him, but he didn't get very far before Jango reached him and scooped him up in his arms.

"Playing that feather game again?" Jango asked Obi-wan, who nodded.

"There's nothing wrong with practicing the basics, and Boba seems to more or less understand the goal. Now, what was so important?"

"It's nothing dangerous," Jango said. "It can wait until we get to the restaurant. I got us reservations for a nice one nearby.'

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow at him, eyes glimmering with amusement as Boba tugged on one of Jango's ears, apparently more for something to do than any desire to get his  _ buir's _ attention.

"Dinner reservations?" Obi-wan asked. "Is this business or pleasure?"

"It's both, really," Jango answered. "Like most aspects of our lives."

"The two do seem to overlap in an alarming number of areas," Obi-wan agreed. "Should I go change?"

"No, you look nice," Jango answered. Formal clothes could be nice, but Obi-wan didn't exactly like a slob on normal days, and it was just a dinner. "Besides, they set aside a private room for us."

"Really? Why?"

"Because I'm the Mand'alor and I wanted privacy. You're gonna figure out how this works eventually Obi, I promise."

And so they made their way out of the building and down to the speeder pad, Boba now chattering nonstop about his day, including the parts Jango had been there for, and Obi-wan filling in when Boba's babble became incomprehensible. It wasn't until they'd settled Boba comfortably between them and the speeder took off that they both remembered they had never taken Boba on a speeder ride before. After a minute of comforting the terrified child, a few minutes of allowing him to hold onto their hands as tightly as his little hand were able to, and then another couple of minutes of making sure he actually stayed seated after he overcame his fear and wanted to move around, both men felt thoroughly exhausted by the time they touched down in the restaurant.

"Bye!" Boba called over Jango's shoulder, waving at the speeder driver. The Rodian, amused, waved back before taking off.

They were led, as Jango had promised, to a private back area, which now had just one table, with 2 chairs pulled out for them on opposite sides, and a highchair in-between them for Boba. The owner of the restaurant, a human male, as he introduced himself, came out to personally give them their menus and nervously thank Jango for patronising his establishment.

"And of course, it is our privilege to serve you, Mand'alor. I would not dream of charging you."

“Nonsense,” Jango said breezily. “This didn’t stop being a business just because I walked through the doors. Of course I’ll pay.”

“You are most gracious,” The man said, bowing. “Please just signal when you are ready to order or need any other assistance. We will leave you in peace otherwise.” And he beat a hasty retreat.

“Mind you,” Jango said in a conspiratorial whisper, leaning across the table towards Obi-wan. “I’m compensated from taxpayer money. So really,  _ they’re _ paying for our meal.”

Obi-wan did his best to look disapproving, but failed, a smile slipping through. Boba didn’t understand what they meant, but picked up on their amusement, and giggled along with them.

“So, if this news of yours isn’t particularly urgent,” Obi-wan said, picking up and scanning his menu. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about as well.”

“What is it?” Jango asked curiously, as he brought up a game for Boba to play on his datapad. 

“Well,” Obi-wan began, sparing a glance for Boba as Jango set the pad in front of him. The boy was quickly transfixed by the colorful shapes that began populating the screen. “I’ve been wondering what, exactly, we’re planning to do about the Republic.”

It wasn’t the first time they’d discussed the topic, but they’d had few ideas in the instances they'd been able to discuss it, and the topic had since moved to Jango's war council.

"I suppose I should've brought you along to those meetings," Jango said, scratching at his chin as he spoke. "I didn't think about it."

Obi-wan shrugged. "I had plenty to do. You seemed rather at a loss the last time we spoke of it."

"I was," Jango admitted. "Our slicers were still going over the data we recovered from Kamino and their initial focus was on the medical and personnel records." The Mando'ade hadn't forgotten their anger at the Republic, but at Jango's insistence, they'd focused their efforts on his children first, leaving the Republic a distant second. "The problem is, the nature of the project means we can't really stick the Republic with anything, politically."

"I thought you might say that," Obi-wan said. "Everything was done through a third party."

"The only record the Kaminoans had proving Republic involvement is their first contact with Sifo-Dyas." Jango explained. "There was no physical copy of the contract and the digital one we recovered doesn't actually mention the Republic, just 'the client'. Obviously, someone thought ahead. The only actual proof of Republic involvement would be your testimony. And they could deny that twice over, with you lying about representing the Republic when you got there, and the fact that - well, that we captured you."

"Unfortunate circumstances," Obi-wan noted dryly, and Jango gave him what he thought was a sheepish grin. 

"We could still accuse the Republic, of course, but doing so would probably require parading the boys in front of the whole galaxy as proof."

"So we're not doing that," Obi-wan said flatly.

"No we are not. I haven't read the finalized press release yet, but the plan right now is to put out an internal memo throughout the empire that the boys were recovered from a cloning project, but with no mention of Kamino. We're saying that some criminals somehow got a hold of a genetic sample of me, and were planning to build a small, elite unit, no mention of an army. There's no hiding how similar the boys will look to me, after all, so we'll admit they're clones."

"But otherwise…" Obi-wan said slowly, thinking it through. "What you're going to do is… nothing. Very interesting."

Jango grinned. Some people might see not taking the issue up with the Republic as weakness, but that wasn't the case. It was genuinely unclear who in the Republic knew what, so rather than sling accusations around without much proof, Kamino and the clone army were simply going to disappear. The only people who would react to the sudden appearance of Jango's children coinciding with that disappearance would be those who knew about the project in the first place, and with the Mandalorians not acknowledging the project, they could only accuse Jango of anything by revealing it themselves.

"We have a few intelligence operatives watching some high level government and military officials, but it's not safe to try and get close to the  _ jetii,  _ and we've had no luck getting near the Chancellor." Jango explained. He was not above seeking retribution if someone was revealed to have had a hand in the atrocities on Kamino. "But the chances that this will smoke anyone out right away are slim."

"What about Master Sifo-Dyas?" Obi-wan asked, and Jango grimaced.

"Dead. We only got the information a couple days ago, but he's been dead for over 2 years. The  _ jetii _ just never made headlines about it."

"They never do." Obi-wan frowned. "But… over 2 years? That means he died not long after starting the project. That's borderline suspicious."

Jango nodded. "We agree, but we don't have details of how he died, save that he was on assignment."

"It could be a coincidence," Obi-wan agreed reluctantly. "But I must be more pessimistic than I realized. I've hardly lived a life where something like that was truly a coincidence."

"Fair," Jango responded, shrugging. "As I see it, though, if this was some part of a big conspiracy within the Republic, staying out of it is an even better idea. We don't want anyone coming for the boys, after all."

"Fair enough," Obi-wan said, his mind still clearly elsewhere. "Protecting them should be our priority."

"Yes," Jango said, clearing his throat and mentally bracing himself. "All 8 of them."

Obi-wan was staring off into the distance, drumming his fingers on the table. It took a few seconds. Then he blinked. His fingers stopped their drumming. And he turned to look at Jango. Silence stretched between them.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

"You're hilarious, Obi-wan."

"Clearly not, because I'm not getting the joke."

"The jokes on us, because  _ I'm _ telling the truth." Obi-wan stared at him. Boba actually looked up from his game to look back and forth between the two of them.

"They were able to save one from the Kaminoan's last batch. They didn't tell us because they weren't sure the child was going to make it, but they did, so…"

Obi-wan blinked.

"I only found out this afternoon, right before I called you. I swear."

With what seemed to be an immense effort, Obi-wan spoke.

"So there's… I mean you're…  _ another one? _ "

"In 2 or 3 days, yes." 

Jango winced as Obi-wan's forehead made contact with the table.

"Come on Obi, you're supposed to be the calm and collected one!"

Obi-wan's voice was muffled as he replied. "That's why I'm getting it out of my system now."

Boba reached over and tugged on the redheads sleeve.

"Are you ok?"

Obi-wan sighed and looked up, smiling at the boy. "Yes, Boba, I'm fine." And he reached over and ruffled Boba's hair, making the boy giggle. Jango chuckled and looked properly at his menu for the first time. Satisfied, Boba returned to his game.

"Not much else to discuss," He said, and Obi-wan shrugged.

"I suppose not. There aren't any financial worries and I assume things at the new… house? Compound?"

"We'll call it a house."

"Right. I assume it's set up there?"

"Yes.  _ We _ were the ones that weren't told. Everyone else knew."

Obi-wan picked up his menu as well.

"Have you thought of a name?"

"Actually…" Jango looked up from his menu and met Obi-wan's curious gaze. "I was going to suggest that maybe…  _ you _ could name him."

Obi-wan blushed. "I hardly think - it seems inappropriate."

"I don't think so. And I'm the only other person whose opinion matters. Besides, I got to name this one." He reached and poked Boba's shoulder. Boba poked back as fiercely as a two year old could manage, and Jango grinned at him. "I'm obviously not going to force you. Just think about it. I've never been that great at coming up with names."

"I'll… think about it." Obi-wan took a drink of water, face still red, but he said nothing else, and Jango let the matter rest. 

The rest of the meal went by smoothly. Jango ended up ordering for all 3 of them, Obi-wan still not overly familiar with Mandalorian cuisine, and they all enjoyed it. Boba made a predictable mess, but with both of them able to attend to the baby, he came out of the dinner relatively clean.

It wasn't the private dinner or the private conversation Jango had been craving, but it was an undeniably pleasant evening. This time, when they exited and the speeder pulled up in front of them, Boba buzzed excitedly, before being confused by how different the driver looked. As they took off, Jango began to explain to him that this driver - a Zabrak woman - was an entirely different person. Obi-wan remained silent the whole trip back, staring off into the distance, thinking. Jango could only assume the new child was on his mind.

He didn't think Boba had quite grasped the concept of taxi's when they got home, but it was a start, and then, at Boba's urging, all three of them waved goodbye to the driver.

"We were out a bit later than expected," Obi-wan said. "Did you ask someone to watch them after their tutors left?"

Jango stopped in his tracks.

"Uh-oh," Boba said helpfully.

"You completely forgot!" Obi-wan accused.

"Well, I - I just… had a  _ lot _ to work through! It slipped my mind!" Jango defended weakly.

"Force, Jango, they're 6 years old! Who  _ knows  _ what they might've gotten up to!"

"Or, maybe, they're all well-behaved boys who are  _ smart enough _ to wait for us to -"

-

"Well, that's a disaster." Obi-wan observed cooly, examining their sorry excuse for a kitchen. "Who managed to get sauce on the ceiling?" The room didn't have the highest clearance, but it was still impressive.

"I did," Wolffe admitted. "I couldn't get the bottle to open."

"And then when he did, I was standing too close." Fox was covered in an impressive number of multi-colored stains from head to toe, but judging by its coloring, most of the sauce Wolffe had 'spilled' had ended up in Fox's hair.

"Force, Fox, your hair looks like mine," Obi-wan sighed. 

"Who burned the walls?" Jango asked.

"I turned the dial up too high," Ponds informed his shoes, steadfastly looking down.

"To the extent that the food caught fire," Jango said flatly.

"Yeah, well, then we were afraid of the fire." Rex explained. "We couldn't reach the dial to turn back down."

"Then I assume the chemicals are from the fire extinguisher?" Jango asked, feeling very tired.

"Yes."

"Well, thanks for paying attention to the safety orientation, Nines." Jango said, struggling to suppress a long sigh.

"You're welcome."

Finally, both adults turned to look at the ringleader.

"We were hungry," Cody said weakly. "I didn't think cooking would be that hard." 

"It's less than an hour after your regular dinnertime!" Jango exclaimed. "You couldn't have waited longer before trying to destroy this whole facility!?"

"Well  _ maybe _ if they'd known where we were-" Obi-wan began.

"Oh would you lay off Kenobi? I don't recall  _ you _ doing anything!"

"Oh forgive me for thinking that since  _ you _ had news and  _ you _ were picking me up that maybe  _ you _ had arranged for-"

"No fighting!" Boba yelled. His expression was dangerously pouty. The last thing they needed was a tantrum.

Both adults sighed. 

“Sorry, Boba,” Jango said, patting the boy on the head.

“I'm sorry too,” Obi-wan agreed, making it clear that he was looking at Boba and  _ not _ Jango, and Jango let it go because Obi-wan was right and Jango deserved it, and it was easier to let him be petty then to admit to being wrong out loud.

“Just… order them some food and I’ll get to cleaning up.” Obi-wan took Fox by the hand and led him out of the room and to the nearest fresher, Fox going along dutifully, with Wolffe and Ponds, who were almost as messy, following along behind them.

“Right.” Jango sighed as he made his way over to the holo. “By the way, you’re all getting another brother.”

“Oh, ok.” Cody said, watching him go.

“Wait, what?”

-

  
  


Dawn came too early to a too tired Mand'alor. 

It wasn't that he had gone to sleep particularly late, but rather that the night had been exhausting. Cleaning the kitchen had required some heavy duty supplies and a ladder, and given that the boys were only 6, they were far more adept at causing damage than fixing it, and he and Obi-wan had been left with all of the work. Obi-wan’s irritation with him had receded, but he had only just begun to offer a quiet apology when Fox, gesturing broadly to make some joke he hadn’t been listening to, accidentally dumped his food right onto Boba’s head. The tantrum Boba had thrown had been the most impressive yet, and Fox, who had already eaten about half of his dinner, had not been given more food. (Although the intrepid duo of Rex and Wolffe had snuck him some snacks later that night, which Jango pretended not to notice.) He loved the kids, he really did, but they could be exhausting.

He continued down that path of thought as he lay in bed, still not wanting to open his eyes.

He  _ did _ love the boys, and honestly, it was rather surprising. Of course, the whole situation was ‘surprising’ at best. There were so many of them, so suddenly, not to mention they were  _ clones _ of him. It had bothered him, when he’d first heard about it. What would it be like, these smaller versions of himself, who had been raised to fight him? He had gotten very little sleep the night after Obi-wan's report from Kamino, determined to do right by the children and the redhead, but unable to help himself from imagining one bad scenario after another. 

Instead, he’d found a group of scared, curious children, who were ready to accept anyone who would show them care and affection, and now they were an indispensable part of his life. Maybe he’d wanted children more than he’d realized. All he knew was that they were here now, and they were his, and he would do everything he could to give them the lives they deserved.

He had thought about having children, more often as the years went on. He had briefly considered surrogacy, if he had a partner that couldn’t bear his children or if he had no partner at all, but he had ultimately dismissed the idea. There were always children in need of care in the galaxy. And until this had all started, his thoughts of the future had been centered around Obi-wan, with only the vague assumption that they would eventually adopt.

Well, they had, he supposed. He hadn’t discussed it with Obi-wan, and he had no intention to, regardless of what conclusions the man had drawn on his own, but he knew the boys already viewed the redhead as a parent. And not just in some high-minded, emotional way. He wasn’t  _ as good as _ a parent to the children, he simply was one. He and Jango stood equal in their lives, and Jango had made a point of framing them in such a way. They might not refer to Obi-wan as  _ buir _ , but that likely had more to do with their bare understanding of Mando’a than anything else. They didn’t understand how relationships worked, or what was going on between the two of them, but they were and would always be a matched set in the boys minds.

It was part of the reason why their relationship had been progressing as well as it had. This was their life, now. Working and living together, focusing on the children - it was natural, with Obi-wan not being opposed to Jango’s affections, that they would settle into this pleasant, if sometimes trying life. 

He just had to resolve things between them now. He didn't want any possible friction between him and Obi-wan to disturb the children, especially as once they learned more about relationships, they were likely to ask about it. And with the new child to wake soon - tomorrow had been the official estimate - he seemed to almost be out of time.

There was a soft  _ ding _ and he finally opened his eyes, turning to see, as if summoned by his thoughts, Obi-wan standing in his doorway.

"Breakfast is ready," he said nonchalantly, before turning and walking away. 

He had slept in later than he realized. He threw on some random clothes, ran a hand through his hair, and padded his way out of his room and down to their living area, to sit at the head of the table where the rest of his children were already sitting around the table, chattering and eating as the morning sun filtered in through the nearby windows. He ruffled Boba's hair in greeting as he passed him by, the boy barely noticing as he focused on his food.

"Did you not sleep well,  _ buir _ ?" Cody asked as he sat down, and Jango smiled.

"I slept just fine. It was so nice I didn't want to stop." A ripple of laughter passed over the table.

Obi-wan walked over with two full plates, having clearly seen to everyone else first, and offered one to Jango, which he accepted, before the redhead took his usual spot beside him.

"Thank you," Jango told him, putting as much feeling and sincerity into the words as was possible.

Obi-wan smiled back at him.

"It's fine. Just don't complain about the food."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jango assured him, before digging in. He only got a few minutes to work at it before the children, now mostly done, predictably began to pepper him with questions.

"I can only tell all of you what Akkus told me," Jango said, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. "I don't know why it was just one or why it took this long. We can ask the doctors when we see them tomorrow."

In truth, the reason why there was a sole survivor was rather simple, albeit tragic. There _had_ been other clones at the same stage of development. What there _hadn't_ been were scientists ready to help them and a ship ready to accommodate them. Saving one had been the best they'd been able to do.

"So what's their name gonna be?" Fox asked, and in response, Jango looked at Obi-wan. The rest of the family followed his gaze.

"Ah," was the only noise he made, his face rapidly changing color to better match his hair. The boys, apparently getting better at reading dramatic moments, watched him in silence. Obi-wan looked back and forth between them and Jango before, adorably, plucking on Jango's sleeve and gesturing away from the boys. 

Fighting a grin, Jango nodded, and Obi-wan got up from the table and began to move out of earshot. Jango shot the boys a conspiratorial wink before following.

"Did you think of one?" Jango asked, respecting Obi-wan's embarrassment enough to keep his voice low enough that the children couldn't overhear.

"Well… yes," Obi-wan answered reluctantly. "But I - I mean, I don't really have a grasp of  _ Mandalorian _ names, and…" he trailed off, still blushing.

"Because Cody and Rex are very traditional Mandalorian names," Jango murmured, amused. "That doesn't matter Obi. What is it?"

Obi-wan sighed. "I… was thinking… Bly. I don't really have a reason. I was meditating and trying to think of one and it just… well, it was the first one I thought of."

"It sounds fine to me," Jango said, and then, before Obi-wan could react, he kissed the man on the cheek and stole back to the table. 

"Bly," he announced with absolutely no preamble before he sat back down. "And we'll be meeting him tomorrow."

"Oh, ok," Fox said, and he and his  _ buir  _ both returned to their food as though nothing remotely interesting had just happened.

Obi-wan, somehow still blushing, took his seat again and also began eating, doing everything in his power not to look at anyone.

-

_ "'Alor." _

Jango looked up from his desk at Akkus' Holo.

"Yes?" He asked. The amount of paperwork that went along with being Mand'alor never ceased to amaze him. He wasn't actually behind, but it was a precarious balance these days, and given that he was officially taking the next week off to settle into the new house and for when they got Bly, he wanted to make sure he got today's work done.

_ "I thought you should know, I think I've solved your babysitter problem." _

Jango blinked.

"...What?"

_ "I didn't think it would only take a day, but, well," _

"What are you talking about?"

_ "He's actually already with the kids-" _

" _ What? _ " Jango thundered, alarm flashing through his mind. "You just let some random guy meet with my children!?"

_ "Well, Obi-wan is there too-" _

Jango flipped off the Holo and jumped to his feet, storming out of his office. It wasn't that far and he would deal with this…  _ stranger _ before he dealt with Akkus. At least Obi-wan was there.

He jammed the button for the door impatiently before it slid and he strode in.

"Who the he-"

He stopped short and stared, brain processing the scene before him as quickly as possible.

Obi-wan was sitting on a couch, out of the way, a datapad in his hands, although whatever work he was doing on it was paused as he looked up at Jango with obvious amusement. His children were all clustered in a half-circle in the middle of the room, smiling and laughing. The man standing in front of them turned to see Jango, grinning from ear to ear, with Boba - who, for as friendly as he could be, had never let anyone aside Jango or Obi-wan hold him before - settled comfortably in the man's arms, waving happily at Jango.

" _ Buir? _ " Jango gasped, disbelieving.

Jaster Mereel, his father and preceding Mand'alor, gave vent to a great, booming laugh at the sight of him.

"Off to war, Jan' _ ika _ ?" He teased, much to the amusement of the boys arrayed behind him. "You look like you're ready to draw on me! Guess you've been settling in."

Precious few Mand'alors ever knew retirement, and when Jaster had stepped down to let Jango take over, he had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want to be contacted about  _ anything _ if it wasn't of the utmost importance, and after assisting Jango with the transition of power, had all but disappeared. They usually only spoke around holidays.

"I was annoyed when Akkus called me," Jaster said. "But you certainly need the help, eh? Even with uh… this… skinny one, here," He said, gesturing vaguely toward Obi-wan, whose name he had clearly forgotten. Obi-wan arched an eyebrow at him.

Jango looked at Obi-wan. Then he looked at his  _ buir _ , surrounded by children he was clearly already winning over. Then, feeling like an absolute fool, he smacked his hand to his forehead.

" _ Buir _ , of course! I completely forgot about you!" 

"Oi."

"How could I be so forgetful?" Jango asked of nobody in particular as he strode over to Obi-wan.

"Hey-" Jaster began.

"What are you-" Obi-wan started to ask, but before either of them could finish a sentence, Jango had reached down and unceremoniously thrown Obi-wan over his shoulders.

As his children erupted in laughter, Jango turned to them and, ignoring Obi-wan's squirming and protests, told them sternly,

"Listen to your  _ Ba'Buir _ ." Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

-

He made it almost three full hallways before relenting and putting Obi-wan down, only doing so because Obi-wan had threatened to faceplant him into the nearest wall if he didn't, and Jango trusted that the man, even from his position, was capable of such a feat.

Before Obi-wan, red-faced and furious, could say anything however, Jango gently pushed him back against the wall, his hands finding Obi-wan's hips, and leaning in until their faces were mere inches apart.

Predictably, Obi-wan had nothing to say to that.

"Sorry," Jango murmured, not feeling sorry in the slightest. "But things have a habit of getting in our way. Who knows how long that conversation could've gone?"

"J-Jango, I - this is hardly appropriate." Obi-wan stammered.

"Only because you had to be let down before we reached my room," Jango teased. "Now we're in a hallway where anyone could walk by." The hallway in question was, for the moment, completely empty aside from them.

"That's not - I mean-"

"Do you want me to back away?" Jango asked softly. Obi-wan met his gaze and said nothing. Jango leaned in a little closer and continued speaking, his mouth right next to Obi-wan's ear.

"I know this is a lot for you. I'll stop if you want. But you and I both know that even with my  _ buir _ around, it's going to be a long time before we get another opportunity like this." He waited for a response.

"I don't," Obi-wan answered, voice tight. "This is just… a lot for me. But I don't hate it."

Jango pulled back and examined Obi-wan, before asking a question, the answer to which he'd been suspecting ever since they'd returned to Manda'yaim.

"All those rumors about you… there isn't any truth to them, is there?"

Obi-wan wouldn't meet his eyes, but his body language was answer enough.

"There isn't," he admitted. "I mean, you know me well enough now. Flirting's easy, even when I don't really mean to. And it was helpful, sometimes, to let people think I was… that kind of man. But I never actually…" he trailed off, sneaking a glance at Jango in time to see the broad, predatory grin growing on the man's face.

"I hope you don't think I find that discouraging," Jango said, feeling positively wolfish.

"Oh… no. I suppose you wouldn't."

Jango chuckled, before he cleared his throat. 

"Obi-wan," he began, locking eyes with him. "You're already my partner is nearly every way. One of my closest advisors. The other parent to my children. I care for you and -  _ want _ you. I've never known anyone else like you. So I'll ask this as plainly as I can. Will you marry me?"

Obi-wan didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared into Jango's eyes, as though he was looking for something. And then, quietly, he answered.

"Yes."

Jango felt a knot of tension he hadn't even been aware of evaporate, and a smile slipped back onto his face.

"Good," he said, relieved. Then he tightened his grip on Obi-wan's hips slightly and pulled them closer together again. "Now I hope you've figured this out by now, but Mandalorians don't really stand on ceremony much, even with this. Wanna make it official?"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes and laughed, even as color once again rushed to his cheeks.

"You're terrible."

"That's a yes," Jango said, and he leaned in and finally,  _ finally _ , they were kissing.

After what felt like an eternity, and yet seemed to end far too quickly, they pulled apart, both a little out of breath.

"Should we get back to our room?" Jango asked, smirking.

"Ass." Was Obi-wan's way of saying yes.

Jango kissed him again, a little more chaste this time.

" _ Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, _ Obi-wan Kenobi."

"And you have mine, Jango Fett."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I joked about not being brave enough to write smut, and that's completely true. But, for an idea of what comes after this, you can honestly just go re-read the ending of Integration. It's like 90% accurate to what I see happening between them, complete with the proper Mando vows. A short epilogue is going up tomorrow. Thanks for reading!  
> Mando'a  
> Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum: I love you (editor's note, it's directly translated as "I know you, you forever hold my heart", which I find a fantastic declaration of love much deeper than just "I love you")


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue**

**_Cin Vhetin_ **

_ The ground underneath him was shaky at best. Large cracks ran through it, including one under his feet. He could see where they came from. _

_ One stretched from Theed City, a dark stormcloud over it. If he looked down at the crack, yellow eyes stared back at him. _

_ The other fissure came from the sandy dunes on his other side. Feelings and memories came to him, blowing like sand off the dunes. A stern voice belonging to a man he respected. The sharp sting of rejection. A boy who needed help he wasn't qualified to give. _

_ When he looked ahead, he could see a mountain, covered in fog. Lights flashed within the fog, the clash of lightsaber on lightsaber. His friends were up there. They'd left him down here, but he had to go to them. _

_ Once he took a step, however, the ground gave way, shattering into a thousand pieces and casting him down. Down into the darkness. _

_ He couldn't slow down, couldn't correct his fall, and he was falling so very far. The darkness would swallow him.  _

_ And then there was someone else there. And they caught him, but there was no impact. And they were still falling, but now it was controlled, almost like a dive. And the arms around him were strong and steady. _

_ And then he could see a light below them, a bright golden glow. And he suddenly had the sense that they were upside down. And the world re-oriented around him, the man holding him turned them around too, and then they weren't falling, they were flying, up towards the light, and he was excited, but also scared.  _

_ But when they reached the light, flying up through the hole and landing on lush grass in the light of day, surrounded by happy, smiling people, he realized he didn't know what it was that had scared him at all. _

Obi-wan groaned and attempted to pull the sheet over his eyes to block out the morning sun, to no avail.

Jango was wrapped around him, and at the movement and the groan, he chuckled, and pressed a kiss to the back of Obi-wan's neck.

" _Jate vaar'tur,_ _riduur_ ," he murmured.

"If you want it to be good, let me sleep," Obi-wan mumbled grouchily. "I'm exhausted."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Jango asked playfully. But before Obi-wan could answer, they heard Boba crying from the next room. Obi-wan groaned and buried his face on his pillow.

"I'll get him," Jango said, sighing, before reluctantly getting out of bed. Obi-wan rolled over, face out of the shaft of light from the window, trying to hold onto Jango's warmth.

He could hear Boba quieting, but also getting closer, and sighed, looking up as Jango entered the room with the baby in his arms.

Boba wriggled in his grip, and as Jango set him down on the bed, he crawled over to Obi-wan, pressing against him, sniffling.

"Hush now,  _ ad'ika _ ," Obi-wan crooned, running a hand through Boba's curls. "What's wrong?"

Boba just pressed closer to him.

"I'm quite alright, Boba."

Boba sniffed and looked up at him.

" _ Haat? _ " He asked, eyes red. The bed creaked as Jango sat down.

" _ 'lek _ , Boba. I'm fine. I promise." The boy seemed calm, now. Obi-wan wondered what had bothered him.

"There's still an hour before we need to be up," Jango said quietly, the offer implied.

Obi-wan nodded and laid his head back down on the pillow, one arm holding Boba.

It would be a busy day. In an hour, the rest of the boys would pile into the room, all bouncing around in excitement at the prospect of moving to a new, proper home. They'd have to corral the boys around the breakfast table, do the rest of the moving. And he had lessons to plan, meals to prep, he had to help get ready to pick up Bly… He would be very busy.

But as Jango laid back down and slung an arm across the both of them, he had nothing to do but relax and enjoy the morning.

"Were you dreaming earlier?" Jango asked sleepily.

"I think so," Obi-wan answered, equally sleepy. "But I can't remember what it was about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:  
> Jate vaar'tur: Good Morning  
> Riduur: Spouse/Mate  
> Ad'ika: Child  
> Haat: Promise  
> Lek: Yes  
> I actually finished a chaptered story oh my god. I'd go scream that from the rooftops if that was the kind of thing I did. My story ideas are usually way beyond my means… and attention span.  
> Fun Fact, Chapter 10 was the last thing I wrote for this. I was finishing up Chapter 9 and this epilogue when I started posting chapters, and the further I got into Ch.10, the more I realized I needed to cover, which is why it took so much longer to get out, relative to other chapters.   
> And i just want to say, writing and posting this, and then seeing the response to it and how many people engaged with it was so much fun, and it made me so happy <3\. Thank you all so much!


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